The bird was spotted twice at Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve on March 2 and 9 by ornithologists Badri Chaudhary, Cagan Sakercioglu and Suchit Basnet. However the birds have been kept in the vagrant category, according to Basent who is also the chairman of Nepal Rare Birds Committee.
Slightly larger than the Jungle Myna, the Great Myna is 25 cm in length from beak to tail. Its unique feature is the presence of a long bushy and shaggy turf between the base of the beak and the front of the forehead and a huge white patch on the vent.
Dr Hem Sagar Baral, senior ornithologist affiliated with Himalayan Nature, said the Great Myna may be slowly expanding its range westwards from northeast India. If this is true then it is likely Nepali ornithologists may be seeing this species again in the future. The bird is primarily found in India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, China and Thailand.
Related story
9,250 birds of 76 species found in Koshi Tappu area
