Vijay
Singh | TNN | May 8, 2017, 07.56 PM IST
NAVI
MUMBAI: There is a wave of enthusiasm and happiness among ornithologists after the recent resighting of ringed
/colour tagged birds in the wetlands of Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. Birds are known
to accentuate the health of their surroundings and hence such
revisits by the same winged visitors are considered significant.
Curlew Sandpipers and Plovers were a few of them which were spotted recently. The resighting of these birds reinforce the importance of ringing studies being undertaken over the years.
Curlew Sandpipers and Plovers were a few of them which were spotted recently. The resighting of these birds reinforce the importance of ringing studies being undertaken over the years.
Moreover,
bird ringing studies help to understand the paths used by birds over long
journeys of migration, their stop-overs and preferences. Dr Deepak Apte, Director
of Bombay Natural History Society, notes: "The sighting of these ringed /
colour tagged birds assumes great significance as it states that they are not casual visitors to the wetlands in Mumbai. We urge members and the
birding community to get back to us with information about any sightings of
ringed / colour tagged birds. This will be helpful in filling the information
gaps in habitat preference and movement of long distance migratory birds."
Mudflats offer a valuable food source derived from their high productivity and
the resultant high quantity of prey items for fish and waterbirds. This makes
mudflats significant as feeding and roosting grounds for local as well as
migratory birds, informed a BNHS spokesperson.
