Why in news? Indian Skimmers, included in the IUCN Red list of endangered species, were sighted in Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary in a day during the Asian Water bird Census-2023

Highlights

• The Godavari estuary in Andhra Pradesh has become a prime and safe habitat for the Indian Skimmer as they migrate there for feeding
• As many as 250 Indian Skimmers were sighted in the southern part of the Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary.
• Great Knot and Caspian Terns have been sighted in good numbers during the census.
• They were also sighted in Mahanadi area and Chambal area

About Indian Skimmer

• Mainly found in rivers or estuaries.
• IUCN Status: Endangered
• Distribution: 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
• Last strongholds: India, and Bangladesh

About Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary

• Nature: Estuary
• River : Godavari
• Location : Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh
• Third largest stretch of mangrove forests in India with 24 mangrove tree species

Distribution in India:

• Coastal estuaries of western and eastern India as far south as Karwar on the western coast
• Chennai and Pondicherry on the eastern coast .
• Breeding colonies are known from the Chambal river area and banks of the Mahanadi river.

Geography

• Nestling on the deltaic branches of Gouthami and Godavari Rivers at Kakinada Bay
• Vegetation : Dry deciduous tropical forest.

Fauna:

• White-backed vulture and the Long billed vulture
• Golden jackal, Sea turtle and Fishing cat
• Olive ridley sea turtles nest from January to March every year.