Bhitarkanika Looks Colorful With Feathered Guests
Odisha: With the onset of winter season, the mid winter waterfall migratory birds have started thronging to the Bhitarkanika National park of Kendrapara District.
Every year, during this time various species of mid winter waterfall migratory avian guests throng to the Bhitarkanika National park. The marshy and swampy wetland spots in Bhitarkanika provide a congenial and human-interference-free winter habitat for feathered guests from the cool northern hemisphere. The migratory birds fly thousands of miles to Bhitarkanika National park to escape harsh cold and snowfall in the transit Himalayan region, Siberia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Northern Asia and central European countries. They generally stay in Bhitarkanika for about three to four months before starting their homeward sojourn from the park, DFO of Rajnagar Mangrove(Forest) and wildlife Division, Dr.Jangyadatta Pati said.
The Bhitarkanika is considered to be the transit point for the migratory bird species as they throng in large numbers with the rise in cold. More than dozen types of species, including sea gull, curlew, ibis, geese, ducks of different types, have already arrived in several places within Bhitarkanika National park. As many as 121 types of bird species with a population of 1,36,092 had visited Bhitarkanika National park during last winter season as per the report of mid winter waterfall bird status survey -2021.
An estimated 33,697 numbers of brown headed gulls came in the highest number among other avian species in the last winter to National park.
