The red-faced liochichla (Licocichla Phoenicea) was thought to be locally extinct in Nepal as it had not been seen in last 178 years. But a group of Nepalese ornithologists led by Tikaram Giri, a senior field ornithologist, spotted these birds in Chitwan in May this year.
Tikaram said the group was trekking through the dense mountain of forest of Upardang Gadi when they first saw the red plumage of the red-faced liocichla. The species that is widely distributed throughout Vietnam, Bhutan, Laos, Myanmar and Bangladesh; had not been recroded in eastern Nepal for almost 200 years.
“When we confirmed it was the red-faced liochichla, we all felt so happy – we were so excited,” Tikaram told Australian Geographic. “We never thought and never expected to see it so easily.”
They initially saw just two individuals, but upon returning to the area the next day, they spotted eight of these birds, including a male-female pair.
“We had a very good view,” Tikaram said.
Here’s the picture of the bird taken by him.
