The Western Ghats separates the western seaboard from the relatively dry, high tableland of the Deccan Plateau. It's a long patch of dense rainforests and shoal forests stretching in a wide swathe of undulating green from Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and western Tamil Nadu till Kerala. The biological diversity found in the Western Ghats is unparalleled in world and gives the region a dazzling array of birds, orchids and butterflies of every hue.

The southern part of the Western Ghats and its forest form the center of distribution for 20 of India's endemic bird species and another 15 regional endemics common to Sri Lanka. Small wonder then that Bird Life International has recognized the Western Ghats as one of the most important endemic bird areas in Asia.

People of Kodagu have their own vocabulary to describe birds. While the racket-tailed drongo, with its majestic tail, is called bheemaraja-pakshi (big royal bird), the green barbet on account of its call is the guttar-pakshi, coucal for no apparent reason is chembuka and the black and orange scarlet minivet is called titte- kanda pakshi (glowing charcoal bird). Other species such as the Malabar parakeet, Malabar pied hornbill, Wayanad laughing thrush and Malabar trogon are endemic to the Western Ghat. The Malabar whistling thrush has a melodious but off-key whistle, which more than makes up for its dull blue appearance?

Apart from the Paris peacock, you can spot butterflies such as the bright yellow southern birdwing, the largest in India, which hovers around the canopy of tress. Kodagu also throws up its share of surprises ? the furtive Malabar squirrel, beautiful orchids with unpronounceable names like Bulbophyllum fibriatum and swarms of fireflies that glow like decoration bulbs on tress in the warm nights of May and June.

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