In the News: In December 2025, the Sirkeer Malkoha (Taccocua leschenaultii), traditionally a bird of the plains and scrub forests below 1,000m, was recorded for the first time in the higher reaches of the Uttarkashi district (Barkot area).
Ethological & Biological Profile
- Distinctive Features: Identifiable by its curved red beak with a yellow tip and a long, white-tipped graduated tail. Its feet are zygodactyle (two toes forward, two backward), allowing it to run on the ground like a mongoose.
- Breeding Behavior: Unlike common cuckoos, the Sirkeer Malkoha is non-parasitic; it builds its own saucer-shaped nest and raises its own chicks.
- Conservation Status: Categorized as 'Least Concern' on the IUCN Red List.
Ecological Significance for UPSC
- Climate Indicator: Ornithologists suggest this upward migration to higher altitudes in Uttarakhand is a response to warming temperatures and changing vegetation patterns in the plains.
- Indicator Species: Their presence in the Himalayan foothills (traditionally too cold for them) serves as a biological indicator of the shifting boundaries of the sub-tropical ecosystem.
IAS-2026 - OPTIONAL / GEOGRAPHY / PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION / SOCIOLOGY / ANTHROPOLOGY / ORIENTATION ON 03 & 04-10-2025 
