27 Jan 2023  |   06:35am IST

Birders release photographic guide to the winged beauties inhabiting Goa’s forests

In their book, the authors have also documented the local names of the birds, descriptions of their calls, and the forest plants they feed on

Team Herald

PANJIM: After nearly 14 years of research, perseverance and early rising to document the much sought-after forest birds of Goa, birding enthusiast Prasanna Parab, along with co-authors Paresh Porob and Omkar Dharwadkar, launched their book titled 'Forest Birds of Goa’, a photographic guide covering 114 bird species.  

This is the first in-depth book on the forest birds of Goa which focuses on both resident and non-resident birds of the forest and will showcase the beauty of the birds in the wild. 

The book was released on Wednesday at the Goa Science Centre auditorium, Miramar by Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte and Dr Sujit Kumar Dongre, Scientist, Centre for Environment Education (CEE). 

'Forest Birds of Goa’ will also be available at the 6th Bird Festival of Goa held from January 27 to 29 at Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary. 

“This is a ready reckoner, easy-to-refer book for all. Birds are a significant species that are associated with the State’s flora and fauna. This book will help many amateur birders to pursue and document the birds of Goa,” said Dr Dongre. Khaunte said, “The book Forest Birds of Goa is not just a pictorial representation of the 114 species of birds. The three authors Prasanna Parab, Paresh Porob and Omkar Dharwadkar have given Goa an encyclopaedia of data that we never had. I thank them for this immense contribution.” 

Besides the 114 forest bird species, emphasis has been given on the local names of birds, important plants that these birds feed on, along with the local names of the plants, and the latest International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Wildlife (Protection) Act (WPA) status of birds and distribution maps for each species. 

The authors have also described the voice and calls of the birds and how it sounds to them.

 “We have limited the scope to bird species which have been observed to be highly dependent on forest habitats,” said author Prasanna Parab.