Found in a semi frozen state a rare bird is now ready to fly home thanks to a couple of avid bird watchers.

Late on Friday night Dr.P.J.Vasanthan, an authority on birds had come across a bird in a built up area at Coonoor.

Realising that it was unable to fly because it was in a half frozen state,he had picked it up and identified it as an Indian Pitta, a migrant to the hills.

He took it to a well known birder Ashlyn Smith who was residing nearby. Under his care the bird recovered and is now all set to move on.

Speaking to The Covai Post here on Sunday Dr.Vasanthan said that the Indian Pitta (Pitta brachyura), can be rightly considered to be the most colourful of all the migrants to this district.On account of this it was called ‘naorang’ in Hindi.

During the migratory season It was found mainly in the dry deciduous and scrubland belt of the Sigur plateau and the Moyar Valley. It could also be spotted in the Nilgiri-Wynaad region.

Stating that the bird would be released near a coffee plantation near Burliar on Monday to facilitate its return to the North, Dr.Vasanthan said that although it was a forest loving species it had been found in a built up area.

He added that of late such stray occurrences have been reported.Underscoring the need for more research to find out why they were straying into the upper reaches particularly during the extremely cold months, he said that an Indian Pitta had been found near Ooty in a semi frozen state on December 12,2010.Despite the best efforts of the then Forest Veterinary Officer Kalaivanan to revive the bird it had died.

Subsequently a few more were found in built up areas.They were either dying or dead.He feared that the number of unreported cases may be much higher.

The incident in Coonoor has shown that prompt re-warming and supportive care can revive birds in a semi frozen state.