Prelims: Current events of national and international importance | Environment
Why in News?
Recently, researchers recorded the resighting of a ringed Eurasian whimbrel in Kozhikode, Kerala, more than 6 years after it was first marked at the Kadalundi-Vallikkunnu Community Reserve.
Key Highlights
|
Parameter |
Eurasian Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) |
Tibetan Sand-Plover (Anarhynchus atrifrons) |
|
Family |
Scolopacidae (Scolopacid waders / Curlews) |
Charadriidae (Plovers & Lapwings) |
|
Markings
|
Fitted with a unique black flag on its right leg (standard flag protocol for waders across the 5 southern Indian states) and a metal identification ring on its left leg. |
Photographed with 2 white leg flags bearing the code 'HZN' on its right leg and a metal ring on its left leg.
|
|
Habitat |
Intertidal mudflats, estuaries, and sandy beaches |
Coastal shores, estuarine mudflats, high-altitude lakes |
|
Breeding Grounds |
Arctic/Subarctic Europe and Northern Asia |
Tibetan Plateau and Trans-Himalayan high wetlands |
|
IUCN Status |
Least Concern (LC) |
Least Concern (LC) |
|
Significance |
Confirms site fidelity, demonstrating that migratory shorebirds return to specific wintering grounds along the Central Asian Flyway (CAF) after migrating to breeding grounds in northern Europe/Central Asia across multiple annual cycles. |
Illustrates intra-country coastal movement pathways and stopover dynamics for waders migrating along India's western coastline.
|
Significance for Conservation
Reference
