SWETA GOSWAMI
The birds have built their nests
on date palm groves — an unusual habitat
Heavy rain in Delhi-NCR this
monsoon may have spelt chaos for residents, but it has brought rare joy to
birdwatchers as a large flock of the black-headed ibis, a threatened species,
has flown to Surajpur Wetland of Greater Noida for breeding.
Not just the black-headed Ibis,
the rain seems to have done wonders as nearly a dozen other bird species have
also been spotted with their nestlings.
While sightings of the
black-headed Ibis are not exactly rare in the Capital, experts say they hardly
choose the region for breeding. So a flock of at least 50 birds nesting at
Surajpur Wetland has been a pleasant surprise for bird lovers and experts.
“Generally, this threatened
species flies to the Soor Sarovar Bird Sanctuary in Agra for nesting and
breeding. There, they are found in large numbers. But this is probably the
first time that Delhi-NCR has witnessed such a large flock for reproduction,”
said T.K. Roy, the Delhi state coordinator for Asia Waterbird Census.
Unusual habitat
This is not all. The birds have
sprung another surprise by building their nests on date palm groves — a highly
unusual habitat for them. They mostly build their nests on Jamun trees.
However, they may have been unable to settle there because of constant human
disturbance for plucking of the fruit.
“The rain has revived the
Surajpur Wetland. The area now has good marshlands and thick grasslands that
provide good nesting and breeding ground for birds,” Mr. Roy added.
One of three species
The breeding of black-headed Ibis
took place in a very small numbers at the Delhi zoo over five years ago.
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