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The two-day vertebrate census astatine Kolleru Lake began connected Wednesday (January 28), drafting wildlife officials and quality lovers to 1 of Asia’s largest freshwater lakes, a lifeline for thousands of migratory birds each winter.
Joint teams comprising Forest Department officials, biology experts, section volunteers and birdwatchers person begun documenting vertebrate species, colonisation strength, nesting behaviour and situation conditions. Divisional Forest Officer (Wildlife) B. Vijaya said the information would play a important relation successful shaping conservation strategies, strengthening situation extortion and addressing threats specified arsenic encroachments and pollution.
The census volition reason connected Friday, with a interruption scheduled connected Thursday, aft which the findings volition beryllium analysed and shared with State and nationalist wildlife authorities. The archetypal time of the census revealed affluent avian diverseness crossed wetlands and vessel areas, underlining the ecological value of the Kolleru region.
Northern pintails were sighted astatine Pallewada and flamingos astatine Madhavapuram. Godwits and Little Stilts were seen on the Dosapadu–Kovvali border, and astir 200 godwits on with black-winged stilts were counted astatine Bobbili Lanka. Painted storks and egrets were recovered nesting and foraging successful the Nidamarru area, with Godwits again being recovered astatine Sriparru and Bobbili Lanka, indicating favourable wetland conditions.
Officials besides identified rosey pastors, bee-eaters, glossy ibises, mynas, wagtails, pipits, open-billed storks, herons, black-winged stilts, small stints and painted storks successful the Adavikolanu area. The census further documented the beingness of whistling teals, brown-winged jacanas, pheasant-tailed jacanas, coots, purple moorhens, grey herons, dabchicks, rose-ringed plovers, sandpipers and ruff, on with ample numbers of lapwings, weaver birds, starlings and egrets. Notably, higher populations of black-tailed godwits, bluish shovelers, garganey ducks and astir 15 flamingos were recorded. The uncommon grey-headed lapwing was sighted astatine China Yedlagadi, wood officials said.
The yearly census aims to measure the wide wellness of the wetland ecosystem and way changes successful vertebrate populations, peculiarly migratory taxon that get astatine Kolleru during the wintertime months from Siberia, Central Asia and Europe. Species specified arsenic pelicans, painted storks, spot-billed ducks, herons and egrets are expected to diagnostic prominently successful this year’s count, reaffirming Kolleru Lake’s presumption arsenic 1 of India’s astir important vertebrate habitats.
