Ramana Athreya is a

birdwatcher Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device such as binoculars or a telescope, ...

and an

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. Astronomers observe astronomical objects, such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, galax ...

at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Pune. In 2006, he described a new species of bird, the Bugun liocichla from the

Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary Eaglenest or Eagle's Nest Wildlife Sanctuary is a Protected areas of India, protected area of India in the Himalaya#Midlands, Himalayan foothills of West Kameng District, Arunachal Pradesh. It conjoins Sessa Orchid Sanctuary to the northeast an ...

in western

Arunachal Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh (; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in northeast India. It was formed from the North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) region, and India declared it as a state on 20 February 1987. Itanagar is its capital and la ...

North-east India Northeast India, officially the North Eastern Region (NER), is the easternmost region of India representing both a geographic and political administrative division of the country. It comprises eight states—Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, M ...

. This discovery has been described by

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding i ...

as the most sensational ornithological discovery in India for more than half a century. He was awarded the Pakshishree award in 2009 for this discovery by the government of

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...

. In May 2011, he was conferred the Whitley Award, one of seven people awarded in the year, for his work on conservation and involving communities in

Notes

External links

Ramana Athreya's homepage
at Indian Institute of Science Education & Research Pune website {{DEFAULTSORT:Athreya, Ramana 20th-century Indian astronomers Scientists from Bengaluru Academic staff of the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune Living people Birdwatchers Year of birth missing (living people)