The White-bellied Heron Ardea insignis is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species due to its extremely small and rapidly dwindling population. Bhutan is home to the highest number of White-bellied Heron and the species is distributed patchily across 11 different sites in central and south-west Bhutan. In this note, we present the first evidence of the species in eastern Bhutan, on the Drangmechhu River in Trashi Yangtse district. The finding extends the distribution of the species in Bhutan and recognizes one more potentially critical habitat for immediate conservation attention. As elsewhere, the new site is found to be primarily threatened by hydropower development. The need for conservation initiatives for the species is immediate and highly recommended.
A camera trapping survey in eastern Bhutan in 2015 has yielded a picture of the Bhutan Takin in the uplands of Kurichu River watersheds in east of Wangchuck Centennial National Park, and is the easternmost documented distribution of the species in Bhutan. The photograph was taken on 30th June 2015 at 9:24 AM in the site located on 27056’03.8’’E & 91004’53.7”N at 3,898m. The habitat is dominated by Fir and Rhododendron.
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