Recently, a team of Nepalese ornithologists studying birds of Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve (KTWR) have identified a new bird species for Nepal known as the Daurian Redstart (Phoenicurus auroreus). That adds up to a whooping 864 species of bird in such a small country.

The male bird has slate grey crown, nape and upper back while the center of back is black. It has black wings with prominent white patch while female bird is olive-brown in upper parts with tail and rump are rufous, a buffy eye ring and a distinct cream-colored wing patch. The under parts are generally fulvous to ochre-brown in color. Female of this bird is easily separated from females of other species by white wing patch.

Although this species may be a migratory species to Nepal, diverse geological setting of Nepal creates conductive environment to host many different species of lives. Many are listed as endangered ones and others are yet to be identified.

About half of the 1.5 to 1.8 million named species in the world are insects. No one knows how many species are still to be discovered. Generally it is thought that five and 20 million species live in the world.

Nepal comprises of only 0.1% of land area on a global scale, but it possesses a disproportionately rich diversity of flora and fauna at genetic, species and ecosystem levels. A great resource on Nepalese bio diversity is Nepal Biodiversity Resource Book (2007). The book is available to download for free in pdf format (be warned, it is big file) too.(Photo source – myrepublica and wikipedia)