The news is bound to put a smile on the faces of bird watchers in Goa. The state recently received a rare visitor, Falcated duck. The species is known to arrive from Russia and Northern china to Northern India. Its sightings in the South India are rare.
The bird was witnessed by three locals in South Goa, one of whom even managed to click a few pictures. Two other states to have received the Falcated duck, are Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. Another handsome addition to the checklist ‘Birds of Goa’.
According to ICUN (the International Union for the Conservation of Nature), on its animal red list, has identified the bird as ‘Near threatened’, and has a population estimated to be 89, 000 individuals. In comparison to previous data, the population is slowly declining.
Main reasons for its decline are hunting (By humans for its meat and feathers) and loss of habitat. Destruction of wetlands affects the population immensely. But, for now due to the efforts of Birders many unknown facts about birds in Goa are being unraveled.
Source of information : The Hindu, Wikipedia
Image courtesy : Francis C. Franklin
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