BAR HEADED GOOSE - ENVIRONMENT
News: One
of the world's highest-flying birds spotted near city
What's in the news?
● The
bar-headed goose, considered one of the world's
highest-flying birds, recently visited the Muttukadu backwaters.
Key takeaways:
● Bar-headed
geese, native to Central Asia, are capable of flying through the passes of the highest mountains at
heights of 12,000 to 14,000 ft with winds that blow at a speed of over 200 mph.
Bar Headed Goose:
● The
bar-headed goose (Anser indicus) is a goose that breeds in Central Asia in
colonies of thousands near mountain lakes and winters in South Asia, as far
south as peninsular India.
● Origin
- Central China and Mongolia.
● Breeding happens in
wetlands of India.
Features:
● They
can fly at very high altitude.
● They
make the world's highest bird migration.
● They
return to their homes by crossing the
Himalayan ranges.
● April
marks the return of migratory bird species visiting India, back to their
breeding grounds.
IUCN Red List Status
- Least Concern.