Rajasthan's Khichan village is popular for offering the winter abode to the migratory birds native to Russia's Siberia.  Photographs by Vikas Choudhary/CSE
Wildlife & Biodiversity

Deviated flight route of Demoiselle crane sets new expeditionary record, sparks curiosity

Instead of entering India through Nepal, these Siberian cranes passed through Pakistan

Vikas Choudhary

Amid an adversely changing climate altering the behaviour of plethora of species, a Siberian crane is found to have changed its flight route.

The Demoiselle crane, which are native to Russia's Siberian region flock to India during winters to escape temperatures as frigid as minus 40 degrees.

It is known that these birds waft through the Himalayan valleys and enter India through Nepal.

Demoiselle cranes are the smallest among the crane species and the second most abundant after the sandhill crane.

This time, however, these high-altitude cruisers passed through the two Central Asian countries of Kazakstan and Turkmenistan, turned towards Afghanistan and deviated eastwards to enter Pakistani airspace before reaching their final destination in Khichan village in Rajasthan's Phalodi district.

It is well estabilished that habitat loss and unsustainable agricultural methods is the primary threat to this species throughout its range.

The flight route was idenitified after wildlife experts geo-tagged one of these birds and it was revealed that the Siberian guest covered an astonishing distance of 3,676 kilometres.