Migratory birds start arriving in Chilika(TH)

Migratory birds start arriving in Chilika(TH)

Context

After a long flight of thousands of miles, not often punctuated by breaks, lakhs of migratory birds have made their way to the Chilika Lake, Asia’s largest brackish water lagoon

Spots

• Major bird congregations have been spotted in the wetlands of the Nalabana Bird Sanctuary inside Chilika and Mangalajodi, a major village on the banks of the lake
• The wetlands of Mangalajodihave begun to fill up with lakhs of ruffs, godwits, plovers, sandpipers and migratory ducks. With 11.59 sq km of mudflats, Mangalajodi receives about 3 lakh birds during winter

From where do these birds come?

Migratory birds fly across continents from Caspian Sea, Baikal Lake and remote parts of Russia, Mongolia and Siberia and flock to the marshy lands of the Nalabana Bird Sanctuary inside the Chilika Lake, which is spread across over 1000 sq. km.

Bird Festival

The Odisha government has announced a bird festival for the first time in January, showcasing the diversity of migratory birds and their numbers

Chilika lake

• Chilka Lake is a brackish water lagoon at the mouth of the Daya River
• It is spread over the Puri, Khurda and Ganjam districts of Odisha state on the east coast of India.
• It is the largest coastal lagoon in India and the second largest lagoon in the world.
• The lagoon hosts
• over 160 species of birds in the peak migratory season. Birds from as far as the Caspian Sea, Lake Baikal, Aral Sea and other remote parts of Russia, Kirghiz steppes of Mongolia, Central and southeast Asia, Ladakh and Himalayas come here.
• In 1981, Chilika Lake was designated the first Indian wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention.
• Birds: White bellied sea eagles, greylag geese, purple moorhen, jacana, flamingos, egrets, gray and purple herons, Indian roller, storks, white ibis, spoonbills, brahminy ducks, shovellers, pintails, and more.
• Nalbana Island is the core area of the Ramsar designated wetlands of Chilika Lake.
• Nalbana was notified in 1987 and declared a bird sanctuary in 1973 under the Wildlife Protection Act.
• The Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaellabrevirostris) is the flagship species of Chilika lake.
• Chilka is home to the only known population of Irrawaddy dolphins in India.
• It is classified as critically endangered, in five of the six other places it is known to live

Source: pmfias