World Migratory Bird Day 2021: Sing. Fly. Soar. Like a Bird!
Avya Mathur
New Delhi: Celebrated on the second Saturday of October, the World Migratory Bird Day is an UN-backed global campaign that aims to raise awareness on migratory birds and the need for international cooperation to conserve such birds and their habitat.
The first World Migratory Bird Day was organized in 2006 by the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) and the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) treaties under the United Nations.
The theme for 2021 is Sing, Fly. Soar – Like a Bird!
In India, the Indore city of Madhya Pradesh has recorded the highest number of migratory birds in the last five years.
The factors that attract flocks of migratory birds to the cleanest city of India, according to ornithologists, are a decrease in air pollution levels, improved visibility, cleanliness, optimum rains, and better food resources.
According to bird surveyor Sachin Matkar, “Bird migration depends on many reasons, including their preferences of shallow or deep waters, food sources, breeding nests, etc. Indore seems to become a good source for many.”
They have sighted most migratory birds near the Sirpur Pond, Yashwant Sagar, Baroda Daulat, Manpur area ponds, and Choral forests. Of these, Yashwant Sagar is suitable for cranes.
Most bird species migrate to India annually from the Himalayan foothills, Siberian Mongolia, China, Iran, and South Africa.
Bird expert Shrikant Kalamkar said, “Climate changes and higher or lower water levels in water bodies are major reasons behind the delay in the arrival of migratory birds. We can control our pollution levels, plant more trees to stay well, and have more birds around.”
Five new species were spotted in 2020-21 in Indore for the first time, mainly due to cleaner surroundings and greener areas that act as a natural habitat for birds.
Indore now hosts 18 species of summer migratory birds and 35 winter migratory birds.
The five new bird species include Amur Falcon (from Russia and South Africa), Common Crane (Europe), the Grey-Bellied Cuckoo (short-distance migratory bird), Great Bittern (South Africa), and Red-Headed Vulture (Southern India).
Some of the most popular migratory birds are the Siberian Crane (Rajasthan, UP), Greater Flamingos (visit Gujarat and Odisha), Demoiselle Crane (Rajasthan), Blue-tailed Bee Eater (Peninsular region), Ruddy Shelduck (Kerala and the Western Ghats), Eurasian Sparrow-hawk (Gujarat, MP, Rajasthan), Ruff Bird (Odisha, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan), Rosy Pelican (Gujarat and Odisha), Comb Duck (Uttarakhand, MP, Haryana) and the Black-Tailed Godwit (Rajasthan).
