Coringa Wildlife sanctuary and Indian skimmer
Why in news :
- The Godavari estuary in Andhra Pradesh has become a prime and safe habitat for the Indian skimmer.
- On January 10 (Tuesday), as many as 250 Indian Skimmers were sighted in the southern part of the Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary.
- Indian Skimmer migrates to the Godavari estuary for feeding.
More about Indian Skimmer :
- The Indian skimmer or Indian scissors-bill (Rynchops albicollis) is one of the three species that belong to the skimmer genus Rynchopsin the family Laridae.
- It is found in southern Asia, where it is patchily distributed and declining in numbers.
- They are mainly found in rivers or estuaries. They are very brightly marked in black, white and orange, making them difficult to miss.
- It is still found in parts of Pakistan in the Indus river system of Kashmir and northern and central India along the Ganges, Bangladesh and Burma and formerly occurred in Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.
- At present, the last strongholds of the Indian Skimmer are India, and Bangladesh.
- They are more widespread in winter and are found in coastal estuaries of western and eastern India as far south as Karwar on the western coast and; Chennai and Pondicherry on the eastern coast exist.
- It is most common on freshwater, particularly during the breeding season.
- Breeding colonies are on islands or sandy spits, usually in rivers. Its range has become increasingly fragmented in recent decades.
- The IUCN status of this bird is endangered.
Koringa wildlife sanctuary :
- Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary is an estuary situated near Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh, India.
- It is the third largest stretch of mangrove forests in India with 24 mangrove tree species and more than 120 bird species.
- It is home to the critically endangered white-backed vulture and the long billed vulture.
- The sanctuary is a part of the Godavari estuary and has extensive mangrove and dry deciduous tropical forest.
- The rivers Coringa and Gaderu and their deltaic branches intersect the region, along with other water channels.
Syllabus : Prelims + Mains; Environment and Ecology
