Glossy Ibis bred for first time in Surajpur Bird Sanctuary, Jhajjar

Tribune News Service

Samad Hoque

New Delhi, September 12

The Surajpur Bird Sanctuary in Greater Noida and Jhajjar district in Haryana have for the first time recorded the breeding of Glossy Ibis, a water bird species of the Threskiornithidae family.

Asia Waterbird Census Delhi coordinator TK Roy, who documented the breeding pattern with evidence on Tuesday, said Glossy Ibis were found in very few numbers across India.

“Usually Glossy Ibis do migrate in northern, eastern and central India during winters but overall they do not make up a large population in India. This year, due to the global climate change impact degrading habitat and drying wetlands, the overall water birds breeding recorded in northern India has been lesser as compared to the past,” Roy explained. “It has also been delayed and marked with alterations in breeding sites. Some of the prominent breeding sites have not seen any breeding this year. These unhappy trends make the first breeding record of Glossy Ibis in NCR Delhi’s three sites in two states — two in Jhajjar and one in Gautam Budh Nagar (Noida) in Uttar Pradesh during monsoons — very crucial.”

He has reported the first ever breeding of the water bird species in Jhajjar District at two locations — on the acacia plants in Chara village wetland, where there are 10 nests, and on the acacia plants in Jhondhi village wetland, where there are more than 100 nests with some growing chicks.

“The first time breeding of Glossy Ibis recorded in Gautam Budh Nagar is on the date palm trees of Surajpur Wetland in Greater Noida. There are 15 nests, and 15 growing chicks,” Roy said. He noted that the breeding pattern of water birds has completely changed due to climate change.

“In some places, it has completely stopped while water birds have found newer havens in other places where bountiful rainfall has made the ground fertile for breeding. For instance there were fewer migratory birds at the Najafgarh Lake this year,” Roy said, attributing the adverse signs to climate change, and shortage of food habitats.

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