Population Assessment And Status Of Common Hill Myna, (Gracula Religiosa Peninsularis) The State Bird, In Kanger Valley National Park (Kvnp) Distt Bastar Newsletter for Birdwatchers Vol:57 (5), September to October 2017, ISSN: 0028-9426

Abstract

Common Hill Myna inhabits subtropical rainforests in South-East Asia. Their major distribution range is India, China, Thailand, SriLanka and on the South-East Asian islands. There are seven subspecies which are very similar but separated by their distribution ranges. The four Subspecies found in India are ,Northern Hill Myna Gracula religiosa intermedia, Southern Hill Myna Gracula religiosa indicus , Eastern Hill Myna Gracula religiosa peninsularis and Andaman Hill Myna Gracula religiosa andamanensis . (Ali 1989). All these four subspecies have been placed under Schedule 1 ( b ), of Wildlife Protection Act1972 and Chhattisgarh State Govt has declared Eastern Hill Myna Gracula religiosa peninsularis as State Bird on 08 04 2002, which was then, on the verge of extinction in state. IUCN Red Data list ( 2015) Category places it as “Least Concern”.
The concept of this study is to determine present status of the species in Kanger Valley National Park (KVNP) ( 18 45’ E, 82 10’ E) Distt Bastar, area 200 Sq Km , established in 1982 and also in other districts of Chhattisgarh. The forest type in KVNP is South Indian Moist Deciduous forest Sub. Div. Slightly Moist Teak forest (3B/CIc) Champion & Seth (1968) Neither the study on the population status has been carried out nor any document is presently available, though it is a State Bird.
Bastar Hill Myna; This study deals with the subspecies Gracula religiosa peninsaularis ,which is found in Bastar comprising of Bastar (Jagdalpur) ,Narayanpur, Dantewada, Bijapur districts of Chhattisgarh and is therefore popularly known as Bastar hill Myna (BHM) ,Bastaria Myna and Pahadi Myna.
In the past it was widely distributed over the above range , but owing to it, being a favorite cage bird , on account of mimicry habit , the population has gradually dwindled in most of the area As these Mynas have rarely been bred in captivity, so nestlings from natural populations are in large demand, resulting in populations being threatened with extinction. The population is presently confined to following locations with stray birds here & there in other parts of districts mentioned.