SSC
'Palapitta' (Indian roller), the state bird of Telangana, is also known as the:
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Answer: Option C — Blue Jay
Detailed Solution
The Indian roller ("Coracias benghalensis"), known as "Palapitta" in Telugu, is the state bird of Telangana. It is popularly but incorrectly called the "Blue Jay" in India.
About the Indian roller:
It is a medium-sized bird with brilliant blue wings, a brownish breast and a turquoise crown. Its bright blue colour is most visible when it flies.
It gets its name "roller" from its acrobatic display flights during the breeding season, when the male rolls and dives in the air.
It is commonly seen perched on electric wires, poles and tree branches in open farmland, grasslands and scrub, from where it swoops down on insects, frogs, lizards and small rodents.
It is helpful to farmers because it eats pests.
It is not related to the true blue jay of North America; it belongs to the roller family (Coraciidae).
Cultural importance:
In Telangana, seeing a Palapitta during the Dussehra (Vijayadashami) festival is considered auspicious, because of a legend that the Pandavas saw the bird before winning their war, or that Lord Rama saw it before defeating Ravana.
It is also the state bird of Karnataka and Odisha (and was the state bird of undivided Andhra Pradesh).
State symbols of Telangana:
- State bird: Palapitta (Indian roller).
- State animal: Jinka (spotted deer, chital).
- State tree: Jammi Chettu (Prosopis cineraria, the khejri tree), which is worshipped during Dussehra.
- State flower: Tangedu (Tanner's cassia, Senna auriculata), used in the Bathukamma festival.
- State festival: Bathukamma.
Other state birds:
- Andhra Pradesh (since 2018): Rose-ringed parakeet.
- Rajasthan: Great Indian bustard.
- Uttar Pradesh: Sarus crane.
- Kerala and Arunachal Pradesh: Great hornbill.
- Maharashtra: Yellow-footed green pigeon (Harial).
- The Indian peafowl is India's national bird.
Why not the other options?
- ✗The Golden Oriole is a yellow songbird.
- ✗The Great Hornbill is the state bird of Kerala and Arunachal Pradesh.
- ✗The Peacock (Indian peafowl) is India's national bird.
Quick tip
Remember: Palapitta (Indian roller, "Blue Jay") = state bird of Telangana (also Karnataka and Odisha); Telangana: animal = Jinka (chital), tree = Jammi (khejri), flower = Tangedu (Bathukamma).
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This question tests your understanding of Biodiversity, National Parks & Wildlife, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers biodiversity and its conservation: biodiversity hotspots, endangered and endemic species, the IUCN Red List, in-situ and ex-situ conservation, India's national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, tiger reserves and biosphere reserves, and wildlife conservation projects. Questions commonly ask in which state a national park is located and which animal it is known for (Kaziranga in Assam for the one-horned rhinoceros, and Gir in Gujarat for the Asiatic lion), when Project Tiger began (1973), and which regions of India are biodiversity hotspots. The number of protected areas changes as new ones are declared, so check the latest lists. Practise the biodiversity and conservation questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.