Winged Guests  of India

By Sara Fathima

May 14, 2022

World Migratory Bird Day

African Comb Duck

Prefers tropical freshwater swamps away from human settlements. It travels over 3500 km in search of a better climate. It can be spotted in Haryana and Tamil Nadu.

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Asian Koel

Flies all the way from Singapore to India during summers and leaves in the winters. The bird is known for its bloodshot eyes and chirruping. 

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Blue-Tailed Bee Eater 

Contrary to its name, the Bee Eater’s favourite food is the dragonfly. It migrates to breed  and returns to Europe or Africa at the end  of summer. 

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Bluethroat

Travels all the way from Alaska to escape the freezing temperatures. This palm-sized bird is an excellent mimic that feasts on insects.

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Black-Tailed Godwit

This feathered friend breeds in Iceland or Russia during summers but prefers to live in the mud-caked, wet grasslands of Northern India in winters. 

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Amur Falcon

A resilient raptor migrating from its  breeding grounds in Siberia and  South China to Southern and East  Africa in winters. They are mostly  seen in Nagaland and a few other neighbouring states.

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Eurasian Golden Oriole

Drops by every summer on the way to West Asia to meet its Indian cousin. It possesses striking features and a distinct cry. 

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Siberian Crane

Travels over 6000 km to escape the biting cold of Russia to Keoladeo Ghana National Park in India. However, their sightings have reduced in the past decade. 

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Bar Headed Goose

Flies high across the Himalayas from Central Asia in the winters. It is known to feed on barley and rice in the fields. It goes back up the Tibetan plateau in the summers to nest.

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Greater Flamingo 

Is a partial migrant that descends on the Rann of Kutch, every three years to nest.  This social bird communicates through  visual and auditory cues. 

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Black-Crowned  Night Heron

Also called the Night Raven — is spread across from Argentina to China — spends  its summers in West Bengal. It feasts on  fish, insects, and snakes.

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Great White Pelican

Flies from the south of the Sahara Desert in Africa to Eastern Europe during the mating seasons. They stop by India during the winters and feast on fish.

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Northern Shoveler

Loves to travel the world. It arrives all the  way from Europe to the Himalayas for winter holidays to reside in the marshy wetlands of Northern India.  

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Rosy Starling

Migrates all the way from Eastern Europe  to South Asia during winters to help fight  the locust infestation. During the migrating season, this flock outnumbers the local starlings in India.

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Ruff

Reaches the Himalayas from the Arctic Tundra region to escape the sub-zero temperatures and feed the young. It  returns home during the breeding season.

Image source: Alamy