Winter migratory water birds using the central Asian flyway have started making a beeline to Punjab’s Harike wetland, offering a delight for bird lovers.
Over the years, the number of certain species has been falling. Some bird enthusiasts and experts are of the view that the trend is not just limited to the Harike wetland, but could be witnessed across the county and even beyond. The key reasons they attribute for the drop is increased human interference in their breeding regions, climate change and rising air and water pollution.
Central Asian flyway
Every winter, the birds make their way to India through the central Asian flyway, which covers a large continental area of Europe-Asia between the Arctic and Indian Oceans. The Harike wetland, one of the largest in northern India, is situated in Tarn Taran district and stands on the confluence of the the Beas and the Sutlej. It is home to birds visiting from as far as the Arctic and Siberia.
Birds such as the Eurasian coot, Greylag…
