TODAY -
Plain flowerpecker sighted after three decades in Kasom Khullen
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, August 01 2026:
In a rare sighting after a gap of about 30 years, a plain flowerpecker has been sighted at Kasom Khullen, Kamjong.
The plain flowerpecker (Dicaeum minullum) is a tiny songbird belonging to the flowerpecker family Dicaeidae.
Environmental activist Jojo Robertson said the plain flowerpecker is an ecologically important and specialized seed disperser and pollinator.
Called Aentek locally, the plain flowerpecker has a close symbiotic relationship with red-spike mistletoe (red-spike mistletoe), locally known as Aenjet Thae.
Red-spike mistletoe can't be grown easily, and is a parasitic shrub that grows high on the branches of host trees.
And, the plain flowerpecker act as an agent that disperse its seeds, Jojo said.
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The bird feeds on the fruits of the Aenjet Thae (red-spike mistletoe) which are gummy and sweet, and defecates mistletoe seeds directly on to branches of trees.
Because the seeds are gummy, the plain flowerpecker wipes its excretion on the surface of the branches and the seeds get stuck.
The seeds then germinate and grow on the host tree, Jojo said.
The sighting of the plain flowerpecker in Kamjong after about three decades is a positive sign, and it exemplifies how nature makes every species interdependent on another in some way or the other, Jojo said.
Every species of animals or birds or plants are part of an ecosystem, and the survival of one is crucial for the other.
It is therefore important for "us" to protect nature, including the forests, animals and birds, he said.
Jojo further stated that at least 16 traditional medicinal plants are found in Kasom Khullen and surrounding areas.
While the traditional medicinal value of these plants is known locally, scientific studies of the plants are lacking, he added.
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