---

📌 The Question:

Which of the following is not a bird?

(a) Golden Mahseer
(b) Indian Nightjar
(c) Spoonbill
(d) White Ibis

---

✅ Correct Answer: (a) Golden Mahseer

---

🧠 Classroom Explanation:

• Golden Mahseer – Not a bird (Correct option)
Mahseer comes from mahi (fish) + sher (tiger).
It is a large freshwater cyprinid fish, famous as the “tiger among fishes” and known for sport fishing in Indian rivers.

• Indian Nightjar – Bird
A nocturnal bird belonging to the nightjar family.
Active at night, insectivorous, widely distributed in South Asia.

• Spoonbill – Bird
Large wading birds of genus Platalea.
Named after their distinctive spoon-shaped bill.

• White Ibis – Bird
A wetland bird inhabiting marshes, estuaries, mangroves, and swamps.

Thus, only Golden Mahseer is not a bird.

---

🔍 Curiosity Raiser:
Why do many animals get misleading names like nightjar or tiger fish, even though they belong to entirely different biological groups?

---

📚 Enrich Notes (Prelims Edge):

• Mahseer = Fish, not avian
• Nightjar = nocturnal insectivorous bird
• Spoonbill & Ibis = wading wetland birds
• UPSC loves simple-looking classification traps

---

🪶 IAS Monk Whisper:
When names confuse, biology clarifies. Trust taxonomy, not terminology.