White-cheeked starling sighted

IMPHAL, Apr 27: White-cheeked starling, a small bird of the starling family, has been sighted and  photo-graphed in Manipur for the first time.
The bird was seen at Lamphelpat during a survey on April 14 by Wildlife Explorer Manipur member Loyangamba Irungbam.
The bird was identified as a white-cheeked starling by Dr Raju, former Director of Bombay Natural History Society.
The only sighting of the bird in India has been recorded in Arunachal Pradesh.
White-cheeked starlings lay eggs in North East Asia.
It spends winter in Japan, South Korea, South-eastern China, Hong-Kong and Taiwan, before migrating to Myanmar, Thailand, Philippines and India.
While the bird has been sighted in Arunachal frequently, the sighting in Manipur is the first and 9th in South Asia.
Wildlife Explorer Manipur secretary Elangbam Premjit said the sighting of the bird for the first time in Manipur has raised expectations that the bird will be sighted more often in the future.