Fewer Himalayan birds seen this winter

The number of Himalayan birds migrating during winters to Munsiyari is depleting, bird watchers say.

They fear this could deal a blow to the fragile ecosystem of the region in Uttarakhand and also hit the tourism industry in the striking hamlet nestled by snowcapped peaks.

The birds come down to low-altitude areas to escape the chilling temperatures in the high Himalayas and to find enough space to breed.

But there has been a substantial decline in the number of Himalayan birds visiting Munsiyari, especially species such as the Satyr Tragopan, the Koklass Pheasant, the Kalij Pheasant, the Cheer Pheasant, the Snowcock and the Snow Partridge, bird watchers say.

However, there has not been a base survey of the Himalayan fauna in this part of Uttarakhand.

“Birds which used to arrive in a flock of 50 now arrive in a flock of 25 or 15,” said Ram Narayan, a zoologist by profession. He coauthored a research paper on the behaviour of migratory birds of the Himalayas with a researcher from Princeton University in the US, Paul Elsen, in 2016.

Poaching

Bird experts attribute the dwindling numbers to a variety of factors, including habitat depletion, climate change and poaching.

“Habitat depletion is the main cause as birds are losing their shelters not only in the lower valleys due to deforestation but also in the high Himalayas due to global warming,” said Narayan.

“We have found that due to human encroachment in the lower valleys and changing weather pattern the habitats of these birds are shrinking,” he said.

Besides Monal, the state bird of Uttarkhand, rare Himalayan bird species such as the Satyr Tragopan, the Koklass Pheasant, the Kalij Pheasant, the Cheer Pheasant, the Snowcock and the Snow Partridge are rarely seen in the area. If at all they make an appearance, they are far less in number, he said.