SILENT VALLEY NATIONAL PARK

Description

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Context: A bird survey conducted at the Silent Valley National Park in the last week of December identified 141 species, of which 17 were new. So far, 175 species of birds have been spotted in Silent Valley.

Details:

Silent Valley is located in the South-western corner of Nilgiris. The whole Park is a roughly rectangular tableland closed on all sides. It has high and continuous ridges along its entire east, north and northeast borders and a somewhat lower ridge along the entire western and southern border. Along its entire length, the plateau slopes toward the bed of Kunthipuzha, which divides it to two halves.
A perennial river named Kunthipuzha is passing through the western side of the park, from north to south direction finally merging into Bharathapuzha.
Brown wood owl, Banded Bay cuckoo, Malabar wood shrike, White-throated kingfisher, Indian nightjar, Jungle nightjar, and Large cuckoo shrike were among the 17 species newly identified in the Silent Valley.
Birds such as Crimson-backed sunbird, Yellow-browed bulbul, Black bulbul, Indian white-eye and Indian swiftlet were found in abundance in Silent Valley.
The indigenous tribal groups that live within park boundaries include Irulas, Kurumbas, Mudugas and Kattunaikkars.