On the occurrence of Black Baza Aviceda leuphotes Dumont, 1820 (Aves: Falconiformes: Accipitridae) in the Gupteswar forests of the Eastern Ghats, Odisha, India

Abstract

The black baza Aviceda leuphotes Dumont, 1820 is a pigeon sized raptor disjunctly distributed in the Indian subcontinent mainly in Western Ghats and Eastern Himalayas. It is also known to migrate across the peninsula. Here the first confirmed sighting of the species from Odisha is reported from Gupteswar Forests, Koraput along with sighting records spanning across two months in the breeding season. Further surveys are needed for confirming the breeding of the species in the region.

Keywords

• black baza
• eastern ghats
• gupteswar