Why in the news?
- A Hawfinch (Coccothraustes coccothraustes), a bird species native to Europe, North Africa, and temperate Asia, was recorded on 23 November in the Dhela zone of Jim Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand. This is considered a vagrant bird sighting.
About Hawfinch (Coccothraustes coccothraustes)
- Family: Fringillidae (Finches)
- Size: ~18 cm
- Wingspan: 29–33 cm
- Distinctive Feature: Very powerful, heavy bill capable of cracking extremely hard seeds/nuts.
- Plumage: Males and females similar; males slightly darker.
Native Range
- Europe and North Africa
- Temperate Asia, including:
- Mongolia and Kazakhstan
- Not native to India.
Status in India
- Sighting classified as a vagrant record—bird appears outside its usual distribution range.
- Only two previous records in the Indian subcontinent:
- Muzaffarabad (1908) – PoK
- Aliabad (2017) – PoK
- This is one of the very few confirmed sightings.
| Why is a plant called Prosopis juliflora often mentioned in the news? (2018)
(a) Its extract is widely used in cosmetics. (b) It tends to reduce the biodiversity in the area in which it grows (c) Its extract is used in the synthesis of pesticides (d) None of the above This question tests the critical concept of non-native or exotic species impacting biodiversity, which is the implicit environmental concern raised by the Hawfinch sighting. |
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