flamingoes in mumbai
Flamingoes flock to Sewree mangroves of Mumbai
MUMBAI, Nov 27/2001: Come october and the majestic flamingoes flock the metropolis, nesting in mud-flats until the onset of monsoon.
First sighted here in 1994, the greater flamingoes and lesser flamingoes are seen in the sewree mangrove park on the eastern sea-face of Mumbai. On an average, more than 5,000 flamingoes arrive every year, said Issac Kehimkar, an official of the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS).
The water level at the Sewree-Mahul stretch is perfect for these birds, as they prefer Alkaline and saline water which is abundant in prey.
Since the location where they are found falls in a high-security zone, the area has a port, oil refinery and defence installations, they are left undisturbed, he said. The birds come from various parts of the country, particularly the great Rann of Kutch in Gujarat.
Mr Kehimkar said the arrival of flamingoes has spurred tremendous enthusiasm among ornithologists, environmentalists, photographers and Amateur bird-watchers.
Stating that the BNHS was closely working with the Mumbai port trust to promote the region as a prime eco-tourism spot, he said the BNHS was organising a ‘flamingo watch’ on December 12 at Sewree.
Flamingoes, considered one of the most primitive among living birds, is believed to have come into existence 50 million years ago.
Some palaeontologists and ornithologists believe that they are the link between the family of birds comprising storks, herons, ibises, spoonbills and cranes and the group that consists of ducks, swans and geese.
While the greater flamingoes (phoenicopterus roseus) are one of the tallest birds found in India with an average height of nearly four feet, the lesser flamingoes (phoenicopterus minor) compensate for their shorter stature with their richness of colour.
Kehimkar, a wildlife photographer and known for his research on butterflies, says it is a delight to see the flamingoes feeding. "They have a long tubular neck at the end of which is their amazingly structured bill with lamelle to strain the muddy ooze and retain the food particles," he told UNI.
While the greater flamingoes have light pink legs and a few streaks of pink on their feathers, the lesser flamingoed have deep pink feathers and almost red legs and a black bill. In the twilight, they look like flames from where the name has been derived.
Both the species are found mainly in the great Rann of Kutch, point Calimere in Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu, Chilka in Orissa and Sambhar in Rajasthan.
But of late, it has also been found in sewree and in other parts of Maharashtra like Solapur and Aurangabad, but in very few numbers.
Soda lakes, salt lagoons and tidal mud-flats form the habitat of the flamingoes for their food chiefly consists of curstaceans, worms and blue-green algae, which are plenty in Alkaline waters.
They nest in these mud-flats, creating miniature craters in which they lay one or two eggs and the males and females care for the chicks together.
Flamingoes feed the chicks with a red-coloured milk secreted by a pouch in their gullet. (UNI)
MUMBAI, Nov 27/2001: Come october and the majestic flamingoes flock the metropolis, nesting in mud-flats until the onset of monsoon.
First sighted here in 1994, the greater flamingoes and lesser flamingoes are seen in the sewree mangrove park on the eastern sea-face of Mumbai. On an average, more than 5,000 flamingoes arrive every year, said Issac Kehimkar, an official of the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS).
The water level at the Sewree-Mahul stretch is perfect for these birds, as they prefer Alkaline and saline water which is abundant in prey.
Since the location where they are found falls in a high-security zone, the area has a port, oil refinery and defence installations, they are left undisturbed, he said. The birds come from various parts of the country, particularly the great Rann of Kutch in Gujarat.
Mr Kehimkar said the arrival of flamingoes has spurred tremendous enthusiasm among ornithologists, environmentalists, photographers and Amateur bird-watchers.
Stating that the BNHS was closely working with the Mumbai port trust to promote the region as a prime eco-tourism spot, he said the BNHS was organising a ‘flamingo watch’ on December 12 at Sewree.
Flamingoes, considered one of the most primitive among living birds, is believed to have come into existence 50 million years ago.
Some palaeontologists and ornithologists believe that they are the link between the family of birds comprising storks, herons, ibises, spoonbills and cranes and the group that consists of ducks, swans and geese.
While the greater flamingoes (phoenicopterus roseus) are one of the tallest birds found in India with an average height of nearly four feet, the lesser flamingoes (phoenicopterus minor) compensate for their shorter stature with their richness of colour.
Kehimkar, a wildlife photographer and known for his research on butterflies, says it is a delight to see the flamingoes feeding. "They have a long tubular neck at the end of which is their amazingly structured bill with lamelle to strain the muddy ooze and retain the food particles," he told UNI.
While the greater flamingoes have light pink legs and a few streaks of pink on their feathers, the lesser flamingoed have deep pink feathers and almost red legs and a black bill. In the twilight, they look like flames from where the name has been derived.
Both the species are found mainly in the great Rann of Kutch, point Calimere in Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu, Chilka in Orissa and Sambhar in Rajasthan.
But of late, it has also been found in sewree and in other parts of Maharashtra like Solapur and Aurangabad, but in very few numbers.
Soda lakes, salt lagoons and tidal mud-flats form the habitat of the flamingoes for their food chiefly consists of curstaceans, worms and blue-green algae, which are plenty in Alkaline waters.
They nest in these mud-flats, creating miniature craters in which they lay one or two eggs and the males and females care for the chicks together.
Flamingoes feed the chicks with a red-coloured milk secreted by a pouch in their gullet. (UNI)
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