Now Reading: Kerala sees fewer winter migratory birds, birdwatchers report
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Kerala sees fewer winter migratory birds, birdwatchers report
Birdwatchers in Kerala say the State is receiving fewer winter migratory birds than in earlier decades. The visitors travel thousands of kilometres from the Arctic, northern Eurasia and Central Asian wetlands to…
The Story in Brief
Birdwatchers in Kerala say the State is receiving fewer winter migratory birds than in earlier decades. The visitors travel thousands of kilometres from the Arctic, northern Eurasia and Central Asian wetlands to Kerala’s coasts, wetlands and forests between August and March.
Greater and Tibetan sand plovers gather at Vellanathuruthu beach in Kollam, while Northern Pintails and Garganeys winter at Pavumba and other waterbodies. The Hindu reports that all four species also occur elsewhere in Kerala. The report describes a gradual decline in the large seasonal flocks, but does not provide population counts or identify a confirmed cause.
The Indian Opinion
It is easy to blame habitat loss or climate change with certainty, just as it is lazy to dismiss birdwatchers’ observations as anecdotal. This report establishes a worrying pattern, not its cause or scale. Kerala needs comparable counts at the same sites across several winters, covering both arrivals and departures. The key number will be the change in each species’ flock size from one season to the next.
Source: thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
