Kendrapara: The winter migratory birds, who made their annual sojourn to Bhitarkanika in October last year, have started their homeward journey from Bhitarkanika National Park.
Every year with the onset of winter, Bhitarkanika water bodies, the abode of avian species, wore a colourful look.
The migratory birds fly thousands of miles to Bhitarakanika to escape the harsh winter in Siberia, Afghanistan, Iraq, northern Asia and some central European countries.
They generally stay in Bhitarakanika for about three-four months to escape from the harsh winter before starting their homeward sojourn from the park.
As the winter season has come to an end, the winter birds have started their journey in the last week, an source in the forest department said.
Bhitarkanika is stated to be the transit point for the migratory bird species as they thronged in large numbers when the chill increased.
As per the mid-winter waterfall bird status survey report 2023 Bhitarkanika wetland, this season more numbers of migratory birds have come to Bhitarkanika National park than the previous year, DFO of Rajnagar Mangrove forest Division( Wildlife ), Gopinath Sudarshan Yadav said.
As many as 140 types of bird species with a population of 1,39,959 throng to Bhitarkanika National Park in the ongoing winter season as per the report of the mid-winter waterfall bird status survey -2023.
The survey was carried out in five forest and wildlife ranges under Bhitarkanika National Park January 6.
This year, geese and ducks came more than other bird species. An estimated 81,930 population of 15 types of Geese and ducks were spotted during a status survey of migratory birds.
An estimated 14,786 population of sore birds-waders of 26 types and an estimated 6753 population of 10 types of herons, egrets and bitterns too visited this winter to the Bhitarkanika National park, as per official sources.
But this time, not a single type of pelican, crane and flamingo was spotted at Bhitarkanika national park like last year.
UNI