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🇳🇵 Nepal /Environment & Climate

Rare honeyguide adds to Ilam’s growing birdwatching appeal

From Kathmandu Post · () English

Summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

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  • The endangered yellow-rumped honeyguide was recently spotted in Nepal's Choyatar Community Forest, a significant find for researchers.
  • This bird species, known for its unique ability to digest wax and its brood parasitic behavior, is categorized as endangered in Nepal.
  • The sighting adds to Ilam's appeal as a birdwatching destination, known for its diverse bird species and conservation projects, though threats like beeswax collection and habitat degradation persist.

Bird researcher and wildlife photographer Deven Kharel recently captured images of the endangered yellow-rumped honeyguide in Choyatar Community Forest in northeastern Ilam, Nepal. This sighting of the species, locally known as Chakasoochak and scientifically named Indicator xanthonotus, is considered a major achievement for researchers in Nepal, where only one species from the honeyguide family is found.

For researchers like us, finding such rare birds in Nepal is a major achievement.

— Deven Kharel (Bird researcher and wildlife photographer)Expresses the significance of spotting the rare honeyguide.

The honeyguide, found at an altitude of approximately 2,500 meters, possesses the unique ability to digest wax, a trait uncommon in other bird species. Historically, humans followed these birds to locate cliff bees' honeycombs, earning the bird its local name. Senior ornithologist Hem Sagar Baral explained that males establish territories around honeycomb sites, monitoring their surroundings. The species is also a brood parasite, laying its eggs in the nests of other birds, similar to cuckoos.

Only one species under the honeyguide family is found in Nepal.

— Deven Kharel (Bird researcher and wildlife photographer)Provides context on the rarity of the honeyguide family in Nepal.

The Choyatar forest area is already recognized for hosting endangered red pandas and a variety of bird species, with ongoing conservation projects. During a recent expedition led by Kharel, 74 bird species were recorded in the Naya Bazar-Choyatar area, making it a promising destination for birdwatchers. Kharel documented several species for the first time, including the yellow-rumped honeyguide, fulvous parrotbill, scarlet finch, and mountain tailorbird.

Other birds can’t digest wax, neither can humans. This is another distinct characteristic of the honeyguide.

— Hem Sagar Baral (Senior ornithologist)Explains a unique biological trait of the honeyguide.

Despite its ecological significance and growing appeal for birdwatching, the yellow-rumped honeyguide faces threats. The collection of beeswax by humans remains a major concern, alongside deforestation, habitat degradation, and declining forest quality. The IUCN categorizes the species as endangered in Nepal. Sightings have been recorded across various regions of Nepal since 1960, with recent documentation in Ilam adding to the area's biodiversity significance.

Because humans can locate honeycomb positions by following the bird, it earned its local name.

— Hem Sagar Baral (Senior ornithologist)Explains the origin of the bird's local name.
About this summary

Originally published by Kathmandu Post. Summarized and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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