This month’s Birder Profile features Thangtei Zadeng. Thangtei’s love for nature led her from adventure sports to birding and conservation. Since 2018, she has explored Mizoram’s remote landscapes, using photography and videos to raise awareness about wildlife protection. A passionate advocate, she continues to travel, document, and inspire, with a dream of capturing Mizoram’s state bird, Mrs. Hume’s Pheasant, on camera.
1. Please tell us a bit about yourself. What do you do and where do you live?
I am Thangtei Zadeng, residing in Aizawl, Mizoram. Previously, I was employed in the Administrative Section at Pachhunga University College, Aizawl. During my time working at the College Office, I was given responsibility for the College Adventure Club, which occasionally involved journeys to remote jungle areas for activities such as waterfall rappelling and rock-face rappelling.
2. When and how did you get interested in birding?
I discovered I’m a nature enthusiast! I took photos of anything that caught my eye, even finding the distribution place of the long-lost Mizoram endemic plant – Broad-Wing Swan Flower Globba wengeri. Since 2018, birding became my main hobby. I spent most of my free time birding, sometimes campaigning for conservation and protection of Mizoram’s wild animals and birds. After retiring in 2022, I traveled to many rural Mizoram areas for birding, and continue to appeal to hunters through social media, like Youtube and Facebook.
From the elusive Red Serow, a vulnerable mammal of Northeast India’s rugged hills, to the mesmerizing Spot-breasted Laughingthrush at 3:37—this video by Thangtei is a breathtaking glimpse into the region’s rich wildlife.
3. Do you have a favourite bird or birds? Why is it/are they your favourite?
My favourite birds are Hornbills, especially the Great Hornbill – because they are not only great and beautiful, but their human-like behavior (one partner taking care of the other) also touched me.
Great Hornbill by Thangtei Zadeng
4. Do you have a birding partner or a group you enjoy birding with? How is birding alone different from birding with others?
If my friends are unavailable, I sometimes bird alone with a guide. Due to our birding locations, birding alone for females is not feasible. While I don’t have a regular partner, I have close friends who accompany me depending on the location.
5. What is your most memorable birding experience?
While I enjoy record shots, one of my most memorable birding experiences is my close encounter with a Bear in the Dampa Tiger Reserve Sanctuary, with only my guide as my companion.
6. Which of the two do you enjoy more and why: a) regular birding around your house/local patch/district, or b) widespread birding in different landscapes across different districts and states?
Though widespread birding in different districts of the state is more time-consuming and costly, it is more enjoyable than local birding.
White-crested Laughingthrush by Thangtei Zadeng
7. How has your approach to birding changed over the years? (optional)
In my earlier birding days, I primarily focused on getting record shots of new birds. Now, my main purpose is capturing good videos to document the natural behavior of birds and animals in the wild, to showcase their beauty and value for conservation awareness.
8. Have you set any birding goals for the coming months?
My birding goal is to capture a good video of our State Bird, Mrs. Hume’s Pheasant, in the remote places of Mizoram, which I was unable to achieve last year.
