EnvironmentTuesday, 22 September 2026·The Hindu - Environment
Periyar Tiger Reserve survey records 6 new species, lifting bird count to 347 and butterfly count to 284
A four-day survey in Periyar Tiger Reserve in Thekkady recorded six previously undocumented species, including one bird, one butterfly and four odonates.
Key highlights
Direct fact
From September 10 to 13, 2026, a four-day faunal survey in the Periyar Tiger Reserve at Thekkady, Keralam, recorded six species new to the reserve, including the golden-headed cisticola and the common onyx butterfly.
Key specifics
- The survey documented 174 bird species, taking the reserve’s cumulative bird count to 347.
- It recorded 192 butterfly species during the exercise, raising the total documented butterfly count to 284.
- Four odonate species were recorded for the first time: Gynacantha millardi, Acrogomphus fraseri, Burmagomphus chaukulensis and Lamelligomphus nilgiriensis.
- The consolidated odonate checklist for Periyar Tiger Reserve now stands at 111 species.
- The survey involved 75 delegates from 21 NGOs and institutions, deployed in 21 teams across 20 base camps.
Exam lens
Question type: environment and biodiversity survey, Periyar Tiger Reserve, Thekkady, September 10-13, 2026, 347 birds, 284 butterflies, 111 odonates. TNPSC may ask which reserve added six new species and what the updated species counts are.