In an extremely rare sighting in the inland freshwater lakes, the Nanjarayan tank bird sanctuary in Tiruppur recorded the arrival of the Broad-billed sandpiper (Calidris falcinellus) on Wednesday.
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The lone Broad-billed sandpiper was recorded by a bird enthusiast, Karthikeyan Elangovan, a member of Nature Society of Tiruppur, in the early hours of Wednesday.
The Broad-billed sandpiper is a migratory bird species found in Northern Europe, particularly in the Nordic Countries such as Norway, Sweden, Finland, and in Siberia.
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The bird spends its non-breeding season foraging on insects and crustaceans in the shallow waters and mud flats, mostly in the coastal belt of the eastern part of Africa, South Asia, and South East Asia.
“In Tamil Nadu, a total of 63 sightings in coastal areas such as Pulicat, Point Calimere, and Rameswaram were recorded in a database maintained by the Cornell Lab for Ornithology. This was perhaps the first sighting of Broad-billed sandpiper in the inland water body in the State,” said K. Ravindran, President of Nature Society of Tiruppur.
With the sighting of the Broad-billed sandpiper, the number of recorded bird species that visited the 125-hectare Nanjarayan tank, which was recently declared as the 17th bird sanctuary of the State, has gone up to 182.
From September to March, many species of migratory birds from different countries visit the Nanjarayan tank. Once it attains the breeding plumage, it flies back to its breeding habitat. Some of the species include Little stint, Wood sandpiper, Northern Shoveler, and Bar-headed goose, added Mr. Ravindran.
An official from the Forest Department said, “Sighting of such a rare species in Nanjarayan, boosts the importance of the tank. The reason for a wader bird to land in Nanjarayan is yet to be ascertained. One of the reasons may be the total dissolved salt content in the tank. The ecosystem continues to attract new bird species because of its rich ecology.”