After 86 years, Hanuman plover bird regains its species status 

After a long hiatus of 86 years, the Hanuman plover bird, endemic to India and Sri Lanka, has been reinstated as a bird species. In between, it was deemed as a sub species as it was endangered. Luckily for them, their demoting status had force conservationists to focus on these at-risk birds and their gradually declining habitat.  

As you can probably guess, the bird derives its name from the Hindu god Hanuman, who is equally famous in India and Sri Lanka for his key role in the epic The Ramayana. As for the bird’s appearance, it is small, whitish in colour, in the size of a robin and was linked with the Kentish plover in the 1930s, and until recently was considered to be one and the same.  

But thanks to the method of DNA sequencing, scientists have found out that there are subtle differences between both the species. Following the latest study, researchers are hoping that reclassifying the species will not only resurrect them but also help secure their habitats, aka, the wetlands. After all, they are important for biodiversity of both the nations and also offer winter shelters for migratory birds.  

What is interesting is that, this bird species cannot really interbreed with other species, despite sharing similarities with them.  

The ornithologists based at the National History Museum in United Kingdom who have conducted the study also said that currently the Hanuman plover may not be endangered anymore, but they can soon enter that list again as it lives in one of the most densely populated regions in the world. They also believe that turning them into a distinct species with a special name will also help policymakers pay attention to these plovers and contribute in their conservation.  

For those curious, plovers in general refer to the family of wading shorebirds that are spread worldwide, except in the polar regions. They mostly feed on invertebrates, but otherwise have their own set of habitats and lifestyles.  

Interestingly, to study Hanuman plover as a species with the scientific name Charadrius seebohmi, researchers not only took measurements and samples from birds in the wild, but also their ancestors’ specimens across global museums. In doing so, they have concluded that Hanuman plover has smaller wing structure, tails as well as beaks in comparison to their relative Kentish plover. In addition, the plumage kind is also different. What else? Well, Hanuman plover has dark grayish feet unlike Kentish plover that has black feet. Moreover, the males of Hanuman plover have a distinct black stripe on their forehead, missing in their cousin. Besides, they shed their feathers much before Kentish plover does, and the breeding season of both is also different.  

However, the greatest observation says that these birds were indeed once the same species but had parted almost 1.2 million years ago. Experts think it was during the Ice Age when levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was depleting and sea levels were also changing. They even call it the Mid-Pleistocene Transition.