ZOOLOGICAL SURVEY OF INDIA

AUDIO: Silvereared Mesia, Leiothrix argentauris: Song
[Contributed by Arunachal Pradesh Regional Centre, Itanagar]
Silver-eared Mesia, Leiothrix argentauris is a fairly common, resident bird, distributed from the Eastern Himalaya in India to Western China, ranging south down through Indo-China to Malaysia and Sumatra. They live in bushes on the edge of broadleaved forest, secondary growth, jungle and scrub at elevations of 500-2,000 m.

AUDIO: Coorg Yellow Bush Frog, Philautus luteolus
[Contributed by Western Ghat Regional Centre, Kozhikode (Calicut)]
Philautus luteolus is endemic to Western Ghats and is found in Coorg and Chikmagalur areas of Karnataka. This frog is noticeable for its long call with a shrill ´treeek´ note followed by repeated ´tink´ notes (treeek tinktink tink tink tink) from dusk to night, during the pre monsoon season. It is a small species of bush frog (snout to vent length: 28.6 mm) having a yellow dorsum with variable light brown striations and spots. Its iris is light brown encircled with a bluish green outer ring.

AUDIO: Anil´s bush frog, Philautus anili
[Contributed by Western Ghat Regional Centre, Kozhikode (Calicut)]
Philautus anili is endemic to Western Ghats and has been reported so far only from Waynad in Kerala. This frog has a tinkling metallic call that it produces in the late evenings during the rainy seasons. It is a small species of bush frog (snout to vent length: 27.7 mm) having a light brown dorsum with various amounts of deep brown irregular patches. This species is common along the forest patches of Wayanad.

AUDIO: Bicoloured Frog, Clinotarsus curtipes
[Contributed by Western Ghat Regional Centre, Kozhikode (Calicut)]
Clinotarsus curtipes is a medium sized frog (snout to vent length: 74 mm), endemic to the Kerala and Karnataka areas of Western Ghats. This frog is well known for mass movement, a phenomenon called ´frog marching´, following the mass emergence of its post metamorphic tadpoles. Males are smaller than females at sexual maturity. Males exhibit advertisement calls in the night alongside the perennial water bodies during the monsoon. Call is weak and can be heard at close proximity.

AUDIO: Bronze Frog, Hylarana temporalis
[Contributed by Western Ghat Regional Centre, Kozhikode (Calicut)]
Hylarana temporalis is a large sized frog (Snout to vent length: 82 mm), found only in Western Ghats and Sri Lanka. This frog is having a distinct dorsolateral fold on the dorsum with a large distinct ear drum. Males of the species exhibit mass breeding in the monsoon, sometimes extending up to late November. In forests, its advertisement calls can be heard both during day and night in chorus near water bodies.

AUDIO: Hoolock Gibbon, Bunopithecus hoolock
Hoolock Gibbon , Bunopithecus hoolock, is a tree dwelling ape found in North Eastern India (Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Tripura and Nagaland), Bangladesh, Myanmar and parts of South China. It is the only ape found in the Indian subcontinent. It is characterized by its white brows because of which it is also called the "White Browed Gibbon". Male Hoolock Gibbons are black in colour with white eyebrows. Females are light grayish brown in color. Infants are born with white fur, which becomes darker with age. Hoolock Gibbons display amazing agility in swinging through the trees of the evergreen forests where it lives and make loud calls. It is estimated that there are about 1,70,000 Hoolock Gibbons occur in their range, in the wild [Call recording & Text: Dinesh. K. P, WGRC, Calicut; Photo: G. Maheswaran, APRC, Itanagar].

AUDIO: Purple Sunbird, Nectarinia asiatica : Song
[Contributed by Arunachal Pradesh Regional Centre, Itanagar]
The Purple Sunbird is a widespread, resident, songbird in India. It is found in forests, scrub jungles, cultivations, gardens and suburban habitats. It is a sexually dimorphic passerine bird. Sunbirds play a significant role in pollinating plants. Its songs are composed of several types of trills.