The Pelican
Latin Name : Pelecanus
roseus (Gmeline)
Local Name : Kurer, Hawasil (Hindi)/ Gooda Bathu
(Telugu)
A
pelican is white in colour with a pinky patch below its tail. It has
blackish brown flight feathers that grow white inwardly. The most striking
feature of a pelican is its distinctive pouch which is both huge and
elastic. The average length of this water bird is 150 cm. The pelicans
belong to the order Pelecaniformes, along with other aquatic birds like
darters, cormorants, gannets, boobies etc.
The pelican is a prominent migratory bird that flies to India from Siberia.
Being a water bird, it prefers area where water is abundantly available.
Expansive water bodies with a rich supply of fish invite the pelicans in
large numbers.
Flamingo
Latin Name : Phoenicopterus
roseus (Pallas)
Local Name : Bog haus, Large haus (Hindi)/ Samudrapu
Ramachilaka (Telugu)
Rosy-white
in colour, the flamingo resembles a stork with long neck and long legs. A
heavy pink bill is a typical feature of this bird.These gregarious wading
birds belong to the genus Phoenicopterus and family Phoenicopteridae. Though
they inhabit both the western and eastern hemispheres, they have a much
higher density of population in the latter.
Well distributed throughout the Indian Union, the flamingo prefers
inhabiting tidal mud flats and shallow lakes. They live in flocks; this
group of flamingos is referred to as a pat or a colony. The diet of a
flamingo includes crustaceans, worms, insect larvae and seeds of marsh
plants. Their nesting period spans from September to October or February to
April.
The Bar-headed Goose
Latin Name : Anser indicus
(Latham)
Local Name : The bar headed goose
Central
Asia and Western China are the chief breeding grounds of the bar-headed
goose. It is during the winters, that this bird species migrates to India
passing over the Himalayas. It stays in India from October till March.
Large lakes and riverbanks are where the bar-headed goose prefers to live.
At daytime, it can be seen taking rest while it feeds in the night. It
grazes on vegetables like barley, rice and wheat and so can do harm to
crops. About 75 cm in length, this bird is seen in flocks of 20-100. It has
black flight feathers and dark brown hind neck. It lays 5-6 eggs that
measure around to 8.5 cm. A bar-headed goose is sociable by nature.
