Finn’s weaver bird

In news– Due to decline in the population in India (less than 500) Finn’s weaver, which until now was listed as “vulnerable” in the IUCN red list has been uplisted to “endangered” category.

About the bird-

Finn’s weaver or Finn’s baya (Ploceus megarhynchus), also known as yellow weaver, is a species of weaver bird found in the Ganges and Brahmaputra valleys in India and Nepal.
Two races are known- the nominate from the Kumaon area and salimalii from the eastern Terai.
The species was named by Hume based on a specimen obtained at Kaladhungi near Nainital.

The species was rediscovered in the Terai near Calcutta by Frank Finn.

Oates called it “The Eastern Baya” in 1889 and Stuart Baker called it Finn’s baya in the second edition (1925) of the Fauna of British India.
Male is predominantly yellow with a dark cheek patch.
Female is streaky brown above and paler below; lacks the strong streaking and facial patterns of Streaked and Black-breasted Weavers.
It is primarily found in Terai grasslands in Uttarakhand and western Uttar Pradesh, apart from a few pockets in Assam.
Destruction of habitat is the primary reason for the sharp decline in the number of these birds.
The other birds from India that underwent reshuffle in IUCN list are Nicobar Imperial-pigeon, Green Imperial-pigeon and Mountain Hawk-eagle (moved from Least Concerned to Nearly Threatened in the list).
The fifth bird which is a matter of great concern is Lesser Florican which saw movement from “Endangered” to “Critically Endangered” in the upgraded list (It is only found in India, particularly in Rajasthan and Gujarat).