New species of bird discovered

Nepal has recorded a new species of bird from upper Dolpa, the largest district of the mid-western development region.Discovery of a single individual of Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush Monticola saxitilis was made public in Kathmandu on Friday, Xinhua news agency reported. The bird was seen and photographed in May near the Shey monastery within the Shey-Phoksundo National Park of Dolpa.The Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush is considered as an autumn passage migrant in Pakistan and India.A four-member team including young wildlife researcher of Nepal Naresh Kusi and Geraldine Werhahn from University of Oxford made the record during their visit to the region.The team was studying the Himalayan wol, wild yak and snow leopard while they discovered this new bird species.Bird experts have claimed that more researches are needed to ascertain the status of Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush in other parts of Nepal.With this record, Nepal now has a total of 886 species of birds.