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White-bellied HeronFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The White-bellied Heron (Ardea insignis) is a species of heron. In India, it is found in East Himalayan foothills. Its grey foreneck and breast contrast with a white belly. In flight, it has a uniform dark grey upperwing and white underwing-coverts contrasting with dark grey flight feathers. In breeding plumage, it has a greyish-white nape plume and elongated grey breast feathers with white centres. At 127 cm (50 in), it is the largest Asian heron and the second largest heron on earth, after the Goliath Heron. The White-bellied Heron is found in the wetlands of tropical and subtropical forests in northeast India and Myanmar. It is also spotted in Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan's sub tropical areas. The major threats the heron faces are hunting (both the bird itself and its eggs) and habitat destruction (the cutting of nesting trees and the disappearance of wetlands). This species is rarer than previously believed; indeed, it appears close to extinction. It is thus uplisted from Endangered to Critically Endangered status in the 2007 IUCN Red List.[1] Footnotes
In Bhutan White bellied heron are mostly spotted in the Punatsang Chhu river basin. About 32 individual white bellied herons have been spotted so far by the Royal Society for the Protction of Nature (rspnbhutan.org which is an national conservation NGO in Bhutan)in the Punakha-Wangdiphordang district in west central part of the country. It is under grave threat because of rapid development and hydro power project in the basin. The majestic bird feeds on fishes and frogs from the PunatsangChhu river. References
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