Migratory birds make a comeback to the city

Bishwabijoy Mitra | TNN | Jan 5, 2019, 03:00 IST

This winter, Kolkata is once again waking up to the chirping of migratory birds who gave their annual visit to the city a miss for a few years before making a comeback this season. If birdwatchers are to be believed, this winter is special for two reasons — not only are several rare birds being spotted after a long gap, the overall spotting has also gone up.

Veteran birder Shubhankar Patra, who spotted a flock of 50 black-headed ibis in Rajarhat last month, said, “It was a very unusual and beautiful sight. For many years, it was difficult to spot even one black-headed ibis. So, we were totally taken by surprise on seeing a whole flock!” Birder Mitali Saha Deb was equally ecstatic on spotting a square-tailed drongo cuckoo at the Chintamani Kar Bird Sanctuary last month.

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