Posted on 06/28/2006 7:55:01 AM PDT by Jedi Master Pikachu
The bird is renowned for being shy
A quail believed to have been extinct for nearly 80 years has been seen by a prominent ornithologist in the north-eastern Indian state of Assam.
The Manipur Bush-Quail was seen earlier this month by Anwaruddin Choudhury, a wildlife specialist.
Bird experts say that Mr Choudhury is highly respected and that they believe he saw the quail even though he was unable to photograph it.
Experts say the sighting is one of the most exciting in India in recent years.
Territory
"This creature has almost literally returned from the dead," the Wildlife Trust of India's conservation director, Rahul Kaul, told the BBC.
"Although there was always a chance that such a bird could be seen again because of the large expanse of territory it could inhabit in the north-east of India, it's still a very exciting development.
"Now I hope other extinct birds may re-appear, such as the Himalayan Quail - thought to be extinct for 125 years - and the Pink Headed Duck which also had not been seen for a long time," Dr Kaul said.
The grey-and-black streaked quail was spotted by Mr Choudhury in Assam's Manas national park.
This creature has almost literally returned from the dead Wildlife Trust of India Conservation Director Rahul Kaul
South Asian beauties at risk
It used to reside extensively in eastern India and what is now Bangladesh.
Correspondents say it was last seen in 1932 in what is now the north-east Indian state of Manipur.
"I'm thrilled to be part of history by sighting this shy little bird after 74 years. It's a rare privilege," Mr Choudhury told the AFP news agency.
"The bird appeared like a flash in front of our jeep and after some time it slowly moved inside the thick undergrowth.
"I knew the moment I saw the bird it was the Manipur Bush-Quail. I've been on the lookout for this species for a very long time."
The 25 centimetre (10-inch) bird was formally discovered in Manipur by British civil servant Allan Octavian Hume in 1880 when Britain ruled India.
The bird bred in grassland areas, and was usually seen in small groups of four to 12.
Living fossil (sort of, recently considered extinct) ping.
Dan?
Don't tell Cheney.
Send Cheney out to find it. But be careful.
The bird is renowned for being shy = you need a good dog to hunt them?
Obviosly there were at least two of them left 80 years ago, so the never were "extinct".
ROTFLMBO !
I wonder if it tastes as good as ruffed grouse?
mmmmmmmm...quail....
Some villager probably has pillows filled with feathers from these birds... ;-)
Kinda looks like a ptarmigan. It likely was driven to near extinction by the evil bunnies in the Ptarmigan/Bunny War.
Cool, I wonder when hunting season begins there.
That's it!
Though a blackened version is nice, also.....
QUAIL WITH INDIAN SPICES
4 quail
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon finely grated ginger
1 tablespoon oil
3 tablespoons natural yoghurt
3 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons rice flour (*)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
2-4 servings Change size or US/metric
Change to: servings US Metric
35 minutes 15 mins prep
Using scissors or poultry shears, split the quail down the backbone and open out flat-I like to remove the backbone, and pull the tiny breast bones out (it's easy).
Rinse and clean the cavity, and if the birds have been frozen, dry well with paper towel.
Crush the garlic with the salt until very smooth, then mix in the remaining ingredients.
Rub the mixture well into the quail, then cover and marinate at least 1 hour or overnight if time permits.
Remove from the marinade, reserving it.
Preheat a grill or broiler and cook, turning and brushing the quail at least twice with any remaining marinade.
It the marinade is too thick to brush on, dilute it with a tablespoon each of oil and water.
Cook until the quail are brown and crisp.
*Itoast the rice in a dry pan, then grind with a mortar and pestle, the ground rice helps give the quail their nice cruncy coating.
I hear that they taste like piping plover.
Our Gambel's Quail are anything but shy...every morning when they hear us opening our backyard slider, they get extremely "talkative" and rush into the yard - reason being we birdseed 'em.
How about wrongly,mistakenly,incorrectly and falsely thought to be extinct. I suppose scientist will put it on the endangered species list.
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