Let’s Welcome Migratory birds at Assam’s Kaziranga

The Park is the largest home to both resident and migratory birds, from the black-necked crane, green pigeons, great white and elusive dalmatian pelican, to oriental pied hornbills, great-headed canary, bar-headed goose, and many others migrating from different countries like the Netherlands, Russia, and Europe.

Migration is a natural seasonal process where migratory birds fly over hundreds and thousands of distances and is mainly done due to favorable ecological conditions and habitats for breeding, feeding, and raising their young.

Kaziranga National Park, one of the country’s biodiversity hotspots, witnessed a literal “early bird” moment when thousands of migratory birds arrived early this year. Having a record of over 500 species of birds in its vicinity, the Kaziranga National Park was recently opened for tourists in a phased manner.

A Research Officer at Kaziranga told that last year the migratory birds arrived here in November but, this year several species of birds have already started coming and witnessed these migratory birds at Bagori, Burapahar, and Agoratoli areas in the national park including 21 near threatened and 25 globally threatened species.

These species of migratory birds are majorly seen during winters from the black-necked crane, green pigeons, great white and elusive dalmatian pelican, to oriental pied hornbills, great-headed canary, bar-headed goose, and many others and, the summer migrants during the month of April and May including the magnificent sight of pond herons, cinnamon bitterns, spawn billed ducks, and the lesser adjutant storks. Kaziranga being a UNESCO world heritage site has a great combination of wetlands, grasslands, and woodlands. The Wetlands also make it most suitable to host several migratory ducks between the month of November and February.

Written by: – Shivangi Rai