Why in news? The bar-headed goose, considered one the world’s highest flying birds, recently visited the Muttukadu backwaters.

Highlights

• Nearly seven bar-headed geese made a temporary halt at Muttukadu
• Thirteen raptors were spotted at Pallikaranai marshland of few, such as the greater-spotted eagle, osprey, and the booted eagle were rare.
• In Vedanthangal, one can spot the open-billed stork, spot-billed pelican, black-headed eagle, Eurasian spoonbill, cormorants, grey heron and darter

Emerging a disturbance

• With an increase in interest to explore birding, there is also a rise in menace to birds at wetlands and green habitat.,
• Intrusive photography could cause disturbance to the birds
• Birds that once used to flock the wetland near have greatly reduced in numbers partly because of people moving close to the restricted bund area, causing disturbance to the birds.

About Pallikaranai marshland

• It is a freshwater marsh and Ramsar Site
• Location :Chennai, Coromandel Coast south of the Adyar Estuary
• Situated adjacent to the Bay of Bengal
• It is the only surviving wetland ecosystem of the city and is among the few and last remaining natural wetlands of South India.
• It is one of the 94 identified wetlands under National Wetland Conservation and Management Programme (NWCMP) operationalized by the Government of India
• The topography of the swamp : Always retains some storage, thus forming an aquatic ecosystem.
• Indiscriminate dumping of toxic solid waste along the road, discharge of sewage, and construction of new road to connect Old Mahabhalipuram Road and Pallavaram have shrunk the wetland to a great extent
• Serving as an aquatic buffer of the flood-prone Chennai and Chengalpattu districts

Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary

• Protected area located in the Madurantakam taluk in the state of Tamil Nadu
• Home to migratory birds such as pintail, garganey, grey wagtail, blue-winged teal and common sandpiper.
• It has been designated as a protected Ramsar site since 2022
• oldest water bird sanctuary in the country
• The area had a compact grove of Barringtonia trees

Bar headed Goose

• It is a goose that breeds in Central Asia in colonies of thousands near mountain lakes and winters in South Asia, as far south as peninsular India.
• known for the extreme altitudes it reaches when migrating across the Himalayas.
• They are capable of flying through the passes of the highest mountains at heights of 12,000 to 14,000 ft with winds that blow at a speed of over 200 mph and temperatures low enough to freeze exposed flesh instantly,