Winter migratory birds on a hopping flight through Delhi

NEW DELHI: Rare winter migratory birds like the Cotton Pygmy Goose, the Great White Pelican and the Greater Flamingo can be spotted at the capital’s Okhla Bird Sanctuary.

The birds are usually spotted in the sanctuary between October and March. The sanctuary’s forest ranger J M Banerjee says the birds are only passing through. They will not stay on for more than a few days.

“These birds normally make stops to feed. They survey the spots for food on their flight and stop by. We had a dried lake that has now filled up and has fish, food for pelicans and flamingoes. In fact, it is very common to find flamingos in Udaipur lakes. They have been visiting that place since the time we had princely states,” says Banerjee.

By the month of December, says Banerjee, the flamingos usually find their way to Mumbai. Rann of Kutch also falls in their migratory route.

The Great White Pelican, which happens to be on the IUCN Red list of threatened birds, scoop out fish from shallow lakes with their bills. The massive bird can weigh up to 10 kg.

The Cotton Pygmy Goose looks like a duck and is also known as the Cotton Teal.

The Greater Flamingo is the state bird of Gujarat and is fairly common in coastal regions of the subcontinent. While feeding, it filters out water through its bill retaining small fish and even algae.