Rare Paintbrush Swift Butterfly Discovered in Himachal Pradesh

The rare Paintbrush Swift butterfly, a species uncommon in the western Himalayas, has been sighted and documented for the first time in Himachal Pradesh’s Chamba district. 

• The Paintbrush Swift (Baoris farri) belongs to the Hesperiidae family and was spotted and photographed during a field survey conducted under the Wild Bhattiyat Project initiated by the Bhattiyat Forest Range in 2022.
• This sighting is significant because the Paintbrush Swift had never been photographed in Himachal Pradesh since its discovery in 1878. It was first described by lepidopterist Frederic Moore over 145 years ago in the eastern Himalayas.
• The project has documented 120 butterfly species in Himachal Pradesh, including uncommon species like the Anomalous Nawab, Blank Swift, Tailed Jay, and Siren.
• The Paintbrush Swift is typically found in northeast, central, and south India, making its presence rare in Uttarakhand.
• The two separated spots in the upper forewing cell distinguish it from closely related species.