SHIMLA/RAKCHHAM (KINNAUR): In a significant discovery for Himachal Pradesh's biodiversity, the Yellow-footed Green Pigeon (Treron phoenicopterus) has been recorded for the first time in Kinnaur district at an altitude of about 3,400 metres in the Rakchham–Chitkul Wildlife Sanctuary, making it the highest documented occurrence of the species in the state.
The rare sighting was made by Block Forest Officer Santosh Kumar Thakur and Van Mitra Alpna Negi during routine wildlife monitoring in the sanctuary. The observation has been forwarded to the state's birding and ornithological community for scientific verification and documentation.
The Yellow-footed Green Pigeon is generally associated with the plains, sub-montane forests, orchards and wooded habitats, normally occurring up to around 2,400 metres above sea level. Its presence nearly 1,000 metres higher in the cold-desert fringe of the Baspa Valley has surprised ornithologists, making the sighting an exceptional ecological record.
Himachal Pradesh-based naturalist Himanshu Chaudhary said the observation is believed to be the highest elevational record of the species in the state.
He noted that a similarly unusual sighting was reported from Matho village in Ladakh at around 3,500 metres in 2020, underlining how rare such high-altitude occurrences are for a bird typically found in the foothills and plains.
Among the five recognised subspecies of the Yellow-footed Green Pigeon, the nominate race Treron phoenicopterus phoenicopterus is widely distributed across the Himalayan foothills and northern India. In Himachal Pradesh, previous records have largely been confined to the lower elevations of Kangra, Solan and parts of Shimla district, making the Kinnaur record particularly significant.
The sighting has also renewed scientific interest in whether changing environmental conditions are influencing the movement of bird species to higher elevations.
Ecologists say the appearance of the Yellow-footed Green Pigeon at 3,400 metres could indicate a response to climate change, changing habitat conditions or shifts in food availability, but stress that there is currently no conclusive evidence to attribute the movement to any single factor.
Long-term monitoring and systematic ecological studies will be required to establish whether the sighting represents a temporary dispersal, an isolated event, or the beginning of a sustained altitudinal range expansion driven by climate change or other ecological processes yet to be fully understood.
Divisional Forest Officer (Wildlife) Ashok Negi, IFS, said Kinnaur possesses immense biodiversity and credited the dedication of frontline forest personnel for bringing such important discoveries to light.
"The biodiversity of Kinnaur is very vast, and it is due to our very capable team of forest officers in the field monitoring that we are now exploring more and more species of avifauna in the region," he said.
Deputy Commissioner Dr Amit Kumar Sharma, IAS, congratulated the wildlife wing and expressed confidence that the team would continue making significant contributions to the documentation of Kinnaur's rich birdlife.
The discovery adds an important new record to Himachal Pradesh's avifaunal database and highlights the crucial role played by frontline forest staff and local Van Mitras in documenting the changing distribution of wildlife across the western Himalayas.
While the reasons behind the bird's unexpected appearance at such a high altitude remain uncertain, the observation provides scientists with another valuable data point in understanding how Himalayan ecosystems may be responding to a changing climate.
