PELICANS - ENVIRONMENT
News: Pelicans
flock to Cooum River as excess water inflow rises after rain
What's in the news?
● In
a rare occurrence, pelicans have gathered at the Cooum river, which is usually choked with sewage, near the Napier
Bridge.
● The
sight of the birds that have been spotted for a few weeks now has surprised
onlookers and bird enthusiasts.
● Environmentalists,
however, say this is a temporary phenomenon.
Key takeaways:
● Birds
such as Cattle Egret, Little Egret, and
Red-wattled Lapwing, are usually found near the banks of the Cooum.
● One
possible reason for the gathering of pelicans could be the inflow of water from
the rainfall in November.
Cattle Egret:
● The
cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis) is a very common resident bird that loves to stay
in croplands and ponds.
● Yellow
beaks, dark legs, in-breeding plumage, orange or buff heads are the common
identification marks of the birds. The male and female look alike.
● Cattle
egrets largedy feed on insects, beetles, dragonflies, crickets, grasshoppers
and other small insects.
● The
farmlands are an ideal place for
them, especially when ploughing is underway, as they get to eat insects in
abundance.
● Commensalism:
○ The
cattle egret and grazing cattle in close association is a classic example of
commensalism.
○ The
egrets always forage close to where the cattle is grazing because the cattle,
as it moves, stirs up and flushes out insects from the vegetation that
otherwise might be difficult for the egrets to find and catch.
● IUCN Status - Least
Concerned.
Little Egret:
● The
little egret (Egretta garzetta) is a small white heron belonging to the family
Ardeidae.
● The
little egret is distributed in Asia, Indian Subcontinent, Europe, Africa and
Australia.
● The
little egret species inhabit shallow, fresh, brackish and saline water bodies
such as ponds, lakes, streams, marshes, swamps, irrigation canals, pools,
flooded grasslands, lagoons, paddy fields, fish culture ponds and salt pans.
● IUCN Status - Least
Concerned.
Red wattled lapwing:
● A
resident bird, habitat in air-able fields, banks of water bodies. Black crown
nape, throat and breast and red face wattles, diagnostic.
● IUCN Status - Least
Concerned.