Collared kingfisher confirmed as Nepal’s 904th bird species

KATHMANDU: The total number of recorded bird species in Nepal has reached 904 following the sighting of the Collared Kingfisher (Todiramphus chloris) in Dhanusha.

The record has been officially confirmed by the Nepal Bird Record Committee (NBRC).

According to the committee, the bird was sighted by Anil Mandal near Kuwa Manglai in Janakpurdham-12 of Dhanusha district on September 29.

“Mandal first spotted, observed, and photographed the bird resting on an electric wire and a tree near farmland. Following initial identification, Mandal submitted photographic evidence and detailed accounts to the NBRC on September 30, and the committee verified the record after consulting with national and international ornithologists,” the NBRC said in a statement.

Collared Kingfisher belongs to the family Alcedinidae under the order Coraciiformes. This species is widely distributed across South Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia, and Pacific island regions, as well as coastal parts of the Middle East and East Africa. In South Asia, it is commonly found in coastal and mangrove habitats such as the Sundarbans in Bangladesh and India, along with parts of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh.

“Since Nepal is a landlocked country, the Collared Kingfisher, mostly found in coastal areas, is an extremely rare visitor here. The bird likely drifted off course as a vagrant—following coastal and river systems from the Sundarbans or West Bengal up along the Ganges-Brahmaputra river network, or pushed inland by adverse weather and wind conditions,” the NBRC added in the statement.