Record of Chinese pond-heron Ardeola bacchus from Pokhara, Nepal

Abstract

Chinese pond-heron (Ardeola bacchus) is a vagrant species in Nepal. We present the first record of Chinese pond-heron from Maidi Lake of Lake Cluster of Pokhara Valley (LCPV), Kaski, Nepal as well as the second record for the species in Nepal itself. Similarly, we recorded 100 bird species around Maidi Lake. We photographed black bittern (Ixobrychus flavicollis) for the first time, an overall second record, for the Pokhara Valley. We monitored the Chinese pond-heron from a vantage point and used a trail around Maidi Lake as a transect for assessing the species richness of birds in the area. Chinese pond-heron was recorded five times in a span of 23 field observation days between 20 May and 11 June 2023. Including this record, Chinese pond-heron is recorded from four districts- Dhanusha, Chitwan, Kaski and Kanchanpur in Nepal.