Expert blames Russia-Ukraine war for fewer migratory birds in India's Haridwar

The number of migratory birds flying in this year from far-off lands to skip a harsh winter over the North Pole is a little less than recorded in the previous year, said renowned Ornithologist Dinesh Bhatt.

The arrival of these exotic fowls in northern India this year was also delayed by at least 3 weeks, ANI reported.

Every year in winter when the chill starts taking North India under its grip slowly but steadily, flocks of migratory birds come to nest in Haridwar, a holy city popular with pilgrims and tourists alike, after a long flight or quite literally across the seven seas.

At this time every year, lakhs of pilgrims and tourists from across India and overseas arrive in the holy city for a 'darshan' of 'Maa Ganga'. Along with devotees and visitors, birdwatchers, too, arrive at the temple town in numbers to watch the migratory birds nesting in the midst.

On the relatively fewer numbers of migratory birds arriving from polar countries this year, Dinesh Bhatt, a globally renowned ornithologist from the Gurukul Kangri University, told ANI, "The air in Russia and its midst has been rendered extremely toxic from the shelling and bombing in the ongoing conflict of Ukraine. Radiation levels have also gone up, making the air extremely hazardous for migratory birds. Hence, relatively fewer birds took the long flight from their original habitat to Hardiwar this year."

"Their mating season started a few months ago. Due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, the heat, smoke and toxic dust in the air must have affected them in a big way. I fear that many of them might even have died," Bhatt said.

Calling the exotic birds 'limitless and boundless', Bhatt said they serve as "ambassadors, connecting different countries and cultures".

Bhatt said from time immemorial, these birds have been taking a long flight to India from their original habitats in Russia, Mongolia and other surrounding areas of China and Tibet.

"Our's is a tropical country and these birds are flying in from colder regions. As soon as it starts snowing in their homelands, around October, they start migrating," the ace ornithologist said.

He said a 'biological clock' determines the flight patterns of these birds, adding that as the mercury plummets and their homelands start freezing over, it is a signal for them to flap their wings and take off for foreign shores.

The birds then fly continuously, over months and for thousands of kilometres, to reach the tropical countries of India, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Sri Lanka, among others.

Bhatt said, "As much as 19 per cent of known bird species migrate every year. India receives a majority of Ruddy Shelducks, Red-crested Pochards, Northern Pintails, Wagtails, Storks, Gulls, Pieds, Geese, Palla's Fish Eagle and Flamingos during the migration season."

He added that the season change triggers a shift in the birds' physiology and minds and the main reason for migration is the lack of food and the decrease in temperature.