Rare migratory bird sighted in Jharkhand's Sahibganj bird sanctuary

Sahibganj, Dec 11 (PTI) A rare migratory bird, Pallas's Gull, also called the Great Black-headed Gull, has been sighted in Udhwa Bird Sanctuary in Jharkhand's Sahibganj district after nearly a decade, officials said on Thursday.

The bird was noticed on Wednesday evening, the official said.

"A juvenile Pallas's Gull (biological name Ichthyaetus ichthyaetus) was noticed by bird watchers on Wednesday evening at the Udhwa Bird Sanctuary, which is the state's only Ramsar site and eastern India's only bird sanctuary," Sahibganj, Divisional Forest Officer, Prabal Garg told PTI.

"It is a rare migratory bird for the wetland and was last noticed during the bird census in 2015. Its return after almost a decade is a positive sign for the biodiversity of the bird sanctuary," the forest official claimed.

This species breeds in colonies in marshes and islands from southern Russia to Mongolia. It is a migratory bird, wintering in the eastern Mediterranean, Arabia, and India. This gull nests on the ground and lays two to four eggs," the official added.

The official maintained that all migratory birds are protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, and any damage to them or their habitat is a cognizable and non-bailable offence under the Act, punishable with imprisonment up to 7 years.

State coordinator for Asian Water bird Census, Satya Prakash, told PTI that the sighting of the Pallas's Gull indicates that the lake's habitat is safe, favourable, and attractive for migratory birds. In 2015, it was sighted in Patoura Lake, while on Wednesday it was sighted in Berhale Lake, both part of the bird sanctuary and located on the River Ganga.

"During the census (in January this year), 60 species of wetland birds belonging to 18 families were recorded. Out of the total 60 species, 33 per cent were resident birds, 32 per cent resident migrants and 35 per cent winter migratory birds. A total of 10,031 birds were recorded at Udhwa Lake Bird Sanctuary," Prakash told PTI.

"The most frequent winter visitors include bar-headed geese, northern pintails, common teal, greylag geese, gadwalls, spot-billed ducks, and red-crested pochards, while purple herons, Asian openbill, little grebes, and kingfishers," Prakash added.

"If all birds are taken into consideration, the total species in the sanctuary would be around 160, including residents and migratory ones. However, anthropogenic pressure, mainly agricultural activities, is a major threat to the birds, besides fishing and trespassing," Prakash claimed.

Forest officials said that apart from awareness sessions amongst students, they have also installed cameras and carry out patrolling both manually and through thermal drone cameras for any violation of the Wildlife Protection Act in the wetland. PTI ANB RG