Patna,
Jan 17 It is good news for bird lovers. The endangered Garuda bird of the
stork family has been sighted in a village in Bihar's Bhagalpur
district, where the birds have also started nesting.
"The endangered Garuda birds have taken shelter on a silk cotton
tree near a village in Ganga-Diara area in Bhagalpur. They are
breeding, a major occasion in the conservation of the birds," Arvind
Mishra, an avid naturalist, told IANS.
"The Garuda birds face very high risk of extinction if proper
conservation efforts are not taken. There are only 800 Garuda birds
around the world and a few dozen in India," said Mishra, coordinator
in Bihar and Jharkhand for the Indian Birds Conservation Network.
The Garuda, biologically known as Greater Adjutant, is classified as
Endangered on the IUCN Red List 2004 of threatened species and
listed under Schedule IV of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act,
1972. The large wading bird belongs to the Leptoptilos dubius
species.
This huge stork has a naked pink head, a very thick yellow bill and
a low-hanging neck pouch. The neck ruff is white. The bird looks
like a vulture. Other than the pale grey edge on each wing, the rest
of the Greater Adjutant's body is dark grey.
Juveniles have a narrower bill, thicker down on the head and neck
and entirely dark wings, Mishra said. A Garuda bird measures 145-150
cm (about three feet) in length and four to five feet in height.
Mishra, who has been studying birds and conducting surveys for
conservation, said: "The birds are on the verge of extinction.
Attempts are being made all over the world to conserve and save
them."
According to Tapan Ghosh of Mandar Nature Club in Bhagalpur, his
club has been working hard to create awareness among the locals on
the need for protecting the endangered birds.
He said that last month some villagers sighted the birds on a silk
cotton tree and informed the club.
"It is big news that the Garuda birds have chosen this place for
shelter and breeding," Ghosh said.
"We have seen a few baby chicks. Out motive is to provide them full
protection with the support of locals. The villagers have promised
not to disturb their shelter."
Mishra said that several villagers have started worshipping the
Garuda birds and the tree on which they have made their nest.
Garuda is the name of the huge bird mentioned in the Indian epic
"Mahabharata".
Ghosh said the nesting season of the birds is between September and
January. The nests, usually built right on the top of the tree
canopy, measure 90-110 cm in diameter.
The Greater Adjutant was formerly found in South and Southeast Asia
but there were reports of the birds being sighted in Assam in India
and in Cambodia.
"Bhagalpur is the third nesting region of this species in the world.
This could be a good sign for the survival of a good number of the
species," said Mishra, who has been working on a project supported
by the Wildlife Trust of India for the protection of the species.
The number of these bird species has declined drastically in the
past few years.
The main threat they now face in Bihar is from the local nomadic
Banpar tribes, which collect the eggs and chicks and hunt the birds
for food.
Another threat, according to Mishra, is the anti-inflammatory
medicine Diclofenac that is used by veterinarians and a major reason
behind pushing vultures to near extinction.
The Greater Adjutant feeds on the carcass of dead cattle and could
be similarly affected by the medicine, said Mishra, also a member on
the Bihar wildlife board.
In May 2006, 42 birds were seen by Mishra and the Mandar Nature Club
team for the first time. Prior to this, the Greater Adjutant had
never been seen in Bihar during its breeding period.
The Greater Adjutant, like most of its relatives, feeds mainly on
frogs and large insects but also young birds, lizards and rodents.
Loss of nesting habitat and feeding sites through drainage,
pollutions and disturbance, together with hunting and egg
collection, has caused a massive dip in the population of this
species.
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It is good news for bird lovers. The endangered Garuda bird of the
stork family has been sighted in a village in Bihar's Bhagalpur
district, where the birds have also started nesting.