Silent Valley bird species’ number goes up to 175

Source: The post is based on the article “Silent Valley bird species’ number goes up to 175” published in The Hindu on 5th January 2023

What is the News?

A bird survey conducted at the Silent Valley National Park in Kerala has identified 141 species of which 17 were new. So far, 175 species of birds have been spotted in Silent Valley.

About Silent Valley National Park

Silent Valley National Park is located in Palakkad district in Nilgiri Mountains of Kerala.

It was declared as a National Park in 1984 and formally inaugurated in the year 1985.

The park is located in the rich biodiversity of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.

Mukurthi peak, the fifth-highest peak in South India and Anginda peak are also located in its vicinity.

Bhavani River, a tributary of Cauvery River originates in the vicinity of Silent Valley. 

The park harbors a viable population of Lion-tailed macaques which also is the flagship species of the Park. 

The park is one of the last undisturbed tracts of South Western Ghats mountain rain forests and tropical moist evergreen forests in India.

Plans for a hydroelectric project that threatened the park’s biodiversity led to an environmentalist social movement in the 1970s, known as the Save Silent Valley movement which resulted in cancelling the project and creating the park in 1980.