El Niño draws ‘Kasai Pitta' out in Rayalaseema scrub lands
The long-tailed shrike, known locally as 'kasai pitta', has returned to the arid scrub lands of Rayalaseema, likely influenced by El Niño weather patterns. The bird is noted for its unique hunting behavior of impaling prey on thorns to store food.
Why it matters
It highlights the intersection of climate patterns and local biodiversity, providing insight into how regional ecosystems respond to environmental changes.
In the arid scrub of Rayalaseema, where summer lasts nearly half the year, a small masked predator has returned to its perch. The butcher bird, locally called the ‘kasai pitta’, is being sighted again across the region’s driest patches.
The long-tailed shrike, Lanius schach, is seen in stony wastelands and thorn scrub around Galiveedu, Tamballapalle, Rayachoti and Lakkireddipalle in Annamayya; Vempalle, Jammalamadugu and Pulivendula in Kadapa; Gooty, Tadipatri, Penukonda and Kadiri in combined Anantapur; Adoni and Pattikonda in Kurnool; and Nagari, Puthalapattu and Punganur in Chittoor. It is also sighted along the Penna River belt and fringes of the Erramala and Palakonda ranges in Nandyal and Kadapa.
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