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Migratory birds towards Punjab wetland
Why is it in News?
- Migratory birds from central Asia are flocking towards Punjab’s Harike wetland.
Details:
- Birds comprise the Eurasian coot, greylag goose, bar-headed goose, gadwall and the northern shoveler.
- Among others species, common pochard, spot-billed duck, little cormorant, pied avocet, great cormorant, ferruginous pochard and common teal have been spotted.
- But the number of some species, in cluding northern lapwing, Pacific golden plover, black-bellied tern and cotton pygmy goose, has dwindled.
- Harike wetland:
(1) It is also known as "Hari-ke-Pattan”.
(2) Harike is one of the largest man-made wetlands of northern India which shares its area with the Tarntaran, Ferozpur and Kapurthala districts of Punjab.
(3) It came into existence in 1952 after the construction of barrage near the confluence of rivers Sutlej and Beas.
(4) The wetland area is spread over about 41 km2 and supports more than 400 avian species.
(5) Harike also harbours endangered aquatic mammalian as well as reptilian fauna like Indus river dolphin, smooth-coated otter and seven species of rare freshwater turtles.
- This site was accorded the wetland status in 1990 by the Ramsar Convention.