BIRDS IN ZIARAT DITRICT

Mistle thrush ( Ubosht Khour)  

Kingdom:         Animalia

Phylum:           Chordata

Class:              Aves

Order:              Passeriformes

Family:            Turdidae

Genus:             Turdus

Species:          T. viscivorus

Binomial name :Turdus viscivorus

Ziarat district is blessed with many important species of birds found in the ecosystem. Mistle thrush is one of those birds found in the juniper forest of Ziarat. It is locally is known as" Ubosht Khour" which means Juniper Eater.

Importance of Mistle thrush in Ziarat  

Junipers forest in Ziarat is the second largest Juniper forest in the world, which covers an area of about 999.60 hectares.Juniper forests play an attractive role in the ecosystem and suck carbon dioxide, which is a major cause of global warming.  Ziarat’s juniper is   rich in biodiversity of plant species. The forest ecosystem provides a habitat for several species of plants, wild life and birds including migratory birds as well

Mistle thrush is very important species of bird and plays a critical role in the ecosystem of Juniper forest. It is playing s a vital role in the Juniper tree Eco cycle  and the main source to increase juniper trees in Ziarat. It functions as a dispersal agent.

Mistle thrush eats juniper berries as an important food source, especially during the winters when the ground is too frozen to hunt worms or snails and other insects.

The seed of juniper berries are very tough. When Mistle thrush engulfs them, the enzyme of the digestive system make little bit soft and removes natural chemicals that would otherwise prevent the seed from growing. Juniper berry seeds actually grow better after passing through a bird's gut, which as a result it takes relatively less time in germination. 

This process become helpful and effective in dispersing juniper seeds all over through Mistle thrush and juniper berries successfully sprout and more juniper plants shoots randomly.

Mistle thrush plays important role in conservation. of Juniper tree and  impact on its habitat and plays a critical role in supporting the wildlife that exists in its ecosystem.

To preserve Juniper forest we need to protect Mistle Thrush. If there are more birds more new juniper plats will grow and the wildlife will flourish in the ecosystem of juniper forest.

DESCRIPTION        

The mistle thrush (Turdus viscivorus) is a quite large bird, about 150 grams in weight, about 300 mm in length; wingspan is about 150 mm. 

It has pale grey-brown upperparts, a greyish-white chin and throat, and black spots on its pale yellow and off-white underparts. The male and female Mistle thrush is similar in appearance. 

Juveniles are similar to adults, but they have have rusty-yellow tinge, paler upperparts with creamy centres to many of the feathers and smaller spots on the yellowish underparts.

The eyes are dark brown and the bill is blackish with a yellowish base to the lower mandible. The legs and feet are yellowish-brown.

VOICE

The male mistle thrush has a loud melodious song with fluted whistles.  The song is, much louder. The male is most vocal in the early morning The main call is , given by both sexes, ehen alarmed or disturbed It is louder and have a rattling call  It is often likened to the sound of a football rattle, a form of musical ratchet. There is also a squeaky tuk contact call.Their ‘fluting’ phrase is one of the earliest signs of spring.

FEEDING

The diet of mistle thrush mostly consists of invertebrates and berries..It eats beetles, earthworms, slugs, and snails for most of the year but will feed extensively on berries o throughout the autumn and winter. Mistle thrushes fiercely defend their food sources.

NEST

The nest is a large cup of dry grass, roots, moss and plant stems, bound together with lo mud and lined with fine grasses. Inside they are lined with fine grasses and occasionally pine needles, which are to reduce nest parasites.

BREEDING

The mistle thrush breeds from late March to July. The breeding pair is usually highly territorial, but the nesting territory is generally quite small and the adults forage over a much wider area.  They lays three to five eggs, which are pale blue to bluish-green, with reddish-brown and purplish spots. The eggs hatch after around 12 to 15 days, and the young mistle thrushes fledge at 14 to 16 days old, although they remain dependent on the adults for a further 15 to 20 days.

The mistle thrush Is generally found where there is a mosaic of wooded and open country, such as in woodland glades, orchards, riverside forest, open mature forest, open grassland with scrub, mountain steppe with shrubs, and other open landscapes with scattered trees . It is also seen in farmland, parks and gardens

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WALIAR KANRY(WALADH KADHAY) VILLAGE - ZARAT

Waliar Kanry a beautiful small village on the top of the mountain lies near Zizri in Ziarat. It is located before Zizri and about 4kn from Sara Khezi.  It comes on the right hand side of a road if going to Zizri

The village consists of approximately 20 houses. Kakar sub tribe Saizia tribe is the resident of this village and they owned Apple and cherry orchards. The village irrigation is depended on one stream.

Waliar  kandry is also Pronounce as Waladh kadhay .It means standing stone n Pashto language.

 

Being on the surface of the mountain top, this village is not visible from the road. To reach this village one has to climb up the mountain.  

The village has spectacular beauty. The area is rich with Juniper trees and has beautiful views.  

Huge juniper tress is grown here and far distant mountains including Khilafat peak is visible from this village. 

In severe winters people migrate to other places and this place becomes deserted.    

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GLOW WORM

A worm is found in Ziarat District which emits yellowish, greenish light in night. It is found in summer. It can be seen on the walls, plants and tress producing light when one goes out in night. These glow worm is a medium to large sized invertebrate.

These worms produces a green and yellow coloured light on the end of it's tail.  The light is "cold light", with no infrared or ultraviolet frequencies. It produces a strong voice in the night. They are harmless to humans.

 

Glow worms resemble to actual worms, but the difference is of its glow in the dark. They have an ability to produce and emit light in the dark biochemically. This process is called bioluminescence. 

Glow worms are nocturnal animals and due to it they are active during the dark night which is when their glowing rears can be seen.

Glow worms are omnivorous animals but they tend to have a very meat-based diet.. Glow worms also prey on other insects and small invertebrates.

Due to their small size and the fact that they glow in the darkness, glow worms have numerous natural predators within their environment including spiders, large insects, birds, reptiles and centipedes.

Their green-lit tails tend to show up most clearly when the sun goes down at dusk.  it is one of the most fascinating phenomena in the nature.. it looks very is beautiful to observe the  glowing bioluminescence in the dark.  

Eremurus stenophyllus an Edible flower plant in Ziarat

Botanical name:      Eremurus stenophyllus

Local name:             Shazhgi

Appearance :           Bright yellow like bottlebrush

Quality :                   Edible plant

DESCRIPTION:

Eremurus stenophyllus ts called "Shazhgi" in Pashto language It grow wildly in the valleys and mountains of Ziarat district. 

It is a seasonal plant and found abundantly in the season of spring. The flower is bright yellow and has unique shape like Bottle brush and is look like long spikes. It is an ornamental plant in many part of the world. In Ziarat when it grows in valleys it gives mesmerizing and stunning scenery.

Shazhgi (Eremurus stenophyllus) is an edible plant. It is  use as a vegetable in Ziarat.  The local people of Ziarat use the whole plant as a vegetable.  Mostly its roots and leaves are used for cooking when it is immature and its leaves are tender. The plant after 15 to 20 days become matured and hard

Various kinds of dishes are prepared. It leaves are cooked as a “SAAG “. It is give very good taste when cooked with meat and pulses. It is very delicious, nourishing and healthy to eat.

BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

Eremurus stenophyllus is a genus of deciduous perennial flowers, also known as the foxtail lilies or desert candles. The inflorescence looks similar to a long spike or a bottlebrush.

It consists of many flowers in copper, bright yellow, snow white, pastel pink, orange or any combination of those colors.

The leaves grow in tufts of thin, green, strap like strips. Species are known for thick roots that grow out from a central hub.

TAZAAN (CICADAS) edible bug

Tazaan is a Pashto name of cicadas, which are the insects in the order Hemiptera (true bugs). It is also called Taz and Dombo in the other part of Balochistan. In Ziarat district it is famous with the name of "Tazaan" .

It is low-fat, high-protein edible insect  After cooking it become delicious savory dish. Many people eat it with delight. 

Tazaan (Cicadas) have prominent eyes set wide apart, short antennae, and membranous front wings. Cicadas are probably best known for their buzzing and clicking noises. They have an exceptionally loud song, produced not by stridulation, but by vibrating drumlike tymbals rapidly. which can be amplified by multitudes of insects into an overpowering hum. 

These bugs live their lives underground sucking on roots and loading up on all kinds of nutrients that pass through the tree roots. These bugs are protein booster and  are extremely nutritious They give  large amounts of proteins and nutrients  cicadas offer the same amount of protein as beef.

Tazaan (Cicadas)  have been named “the shrimp of the land” due to their taste, prevalence, and appearance. The taste is reminiscent of crawfish or shrimp.

Tazaan (Cicadas) lay dormant in the ground for 13 or 17 years. It come out in late spring to early summer every year and live for a few weeks before laying their eggs and dying. 

In Ziarat Tazaan (Cicadas) emerge in large numbers in the months of May and June when there is it is less rain. Millions of Tazaan (Cicadas) after emerging are found on trees, plants, and fields. local people catch them and collect them in bulk quantity.

Tazaan (Cicadas) usually emerge from the ground during the night. Mostly people collect them early in the morning because Tazaan(Cicadas) can’t fly until their exoskeleton and wings have dried and hardened, so they will climb up higher to hide from predators. People easily collect them with hands. They are not poisonous and they very rarely ever bite.

During the period of Tazaan (Cicadas) People in form of groups go in fields and participate in collecting them. Various tasty dishes are prepared by cooking them which native people eat with passionate.