Could climate change have brought Delhi's winter birds early?
Migratory birds, which should have come to northern India by November, have appeared in September and October itself
Something is amiss on the landmass of Eurasia. Birds that usually come to winter in Northern India in November, have appeared in autumn itself like these Eurasian Coots in the Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary in Haryana. Photo by Vikas Choudhary
Something is amiss on the landmass of Eurasia. Birds that usually come to winter in northern India in November, have this year, arrived in autumn, like these Eurasian Coots clicked in the in the Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary late October. Photo by Vikas Choudhary
Faiyaz Khudsar, scientist-in-charge, Centre for Environment Management of Degraded Ecosystems University of Delhi, told Down To Earth that the Northern Shoveler was not seen last year before October 30. But in 2019, it has already been spotted as early as September 18
The Northern Pintail, seen here in Sultanpur, Haryana, was spotted last year on November 20, says Khudsar. 2019 has seen as slew of heatwaves across the world, which have affected the lives of several species. Photo by Vikas Choudhary
The Ferruginous Duck, mistakenly called the White-Eyed Pochard in India, was seen last year not before November 21. Questions have been raised on whether warming of habitat has affected the availability of food for migratory birds in Europe and northern Asia. Photo by Vikas Choudhary
The Gadwall, seen here in Sultanpur, was seen last year on November 20. Khudsar says more studies are needed to prove whether climate change is behind the early migration of these birds
