Spot-billed Pelican sighted at Dalpat Sagar after 6 yrs
| Date :03-Sep-2019 |
Staff Reporter:
Raipur
sighting of Spot-billed Pelican at Dalpat Sagar in Jagdalpur of Chhattisgarh after a long gap of nearly six years has amazed naturalists and bird lovers of the region. Considered as near-threatened species according to International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the bird was first spotted in the Dalpat Sagar of Jagdalpur in the year 2012-13 and it was again spotted in the month of August, 2019, informed Professor Sushil Kumar Dutta, HoD, Zoology, Government PG College, Jagdalpur.
Professor Dutta, who is also a bird lover and has published a number of research papers on wildlife, said that the only Spot-billed Pelican, spotted in the Dalpat Sagar, was an adult bird and it sojourned for nearly one month. It was last seen on August 28, 2019 in Dalpat Sagar, said Professor Dutta. He said that the bird used Dalpat Sagar as stopover, but it sojourned for one month which is a longer period for such species considering adverse conditions of the region.
The reason behind the bird’s long stay in Dalpat Sagar was said to be the adequate food that fulfilled the requirement of the bird, said Professor Dutta. He said that the total population of this bird is nearly 12,000 and the number is decreasing day by day. On March 10, 2012, an adult spot-billed Pelican was sighted at Dalpat Sagar in Jagdalpur. The bird was not seen in the area after this, till another bird was sighted here on July 9, 2013; it remained there till August 27, 2013, said Professor Dutta. Spot-billed Pelicans are known to be migrating during their non-breeding season, for which it is assumed that Jagdalpur is on the migratory route of the species and therefore they use it as stopover. Professor Dutta said that this species is a colonial breeder often breeding in the company of other water birds.