KATHMANDU, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- A rare species of pigeon, green imperial pigeon, has been spotted for the first time in Nepal by bird researcher Devendra Kharel this week.
"I found the bird with scientific name Ducula Aenea on Tuesday. This is the first of its species in Nepal," Kharel told Xinhua Thursday.
Kharel saw the bird, which has shining green feathers in a silk cotton tree, bombax ceiba in Mechinagar Municipality from Jhapa district in eastern Nepal.
Then he took a photo and short video clip and sent them to the Bird Conservation Association, an organization that studies the birds in Nepal, for verification.
"We have confirmed, after seeing the photo and video, that the new species of the pigeon has been found in the Jhapa district," Ishana Thapa, chief executive officer at the association told Xinhua.
The rare species of the birds is found in a small number in India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Philippines and Thailand.
Hem Sagar Baral, an ornithologist who is a former chair of the association said, "If Kharel's finding gets authenticated, the number of birds species in Nepal would reach to 887."
The pigeon's size is double the dove and bigger than a common pigeon. Kharel said the green imperial pigeon is around 10 cm longer than the common pigeon species.
The availability of green pigeon is a huge achievement in terms of bird conservation and bird tourism, said Kharel.
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