Migratory birds bring cheer to city’s avid bird watchers
Jamshedpur: With the onset of winter, the city’s bird watchers are finally rejoicing as migratory birds begin to arrive across Jamshedpur’s wetlands, hillsides and riverbanks. Although the flight of these seasonal visitors from Russia, Balochistan, Myanmar and the Himalayan foothills was a little delayed this year, sightings of several rare species have renewed excitement among nature enthusiasts.
According to an official from the Jharkhand–Bihar chapter of the Ornithology Society of India, increased human activity around Jubilee Park and Dimna Lake has kept several water birds away in the early weeks of winter. “However, non-aquatic birds, including the Wagtail from Russia and the Red-headed Bunting from Baluchistan, have arrived in the city and adjoining areas,” the official said.
A city-based avid bird watcher explained that extreme cold conditions in their native regions force these birds to migrate every winter. “Migratory birds generally come from South-East Asia and the Siberian region, which reel under severe cold at this time of the year. To protect themselves, they travel thousands of miles to warmer locations like ours. They stay for about three to four months before returning home,” he said.
The phenomenon of long-distance migration—from the icy Arctic to the warm tropics—continues to fascinate bird watchers. Birds flying from the North reach India along the Central Asian Flyway, a vast aerial route stretching from the Arctic and Siberia through Russia and Central Asia to India and South-East Asia. The primary trigger for migration is harsh cold weather and scarcity of food. Remarkably, birds navigate using special crystalloid pigments at the base of their bills that align with the Earth’s magnetic field. Even first-time migrants rely on this biological guidance system, further aided by the position of the sun, moon, stars and day length.
In and around Jamshedpur, nearly one-third of the 200 recorded bird species are migratory. Surprisingly, the Asian Koel—known for its melodious “kooo–kooo” call during summer—migrates to India from Singapore and is not originally native to the country. Other long-distance travellers visiting Dalma foothills include the colourful Indian Pitta and the elegant Indian Paradise Flycatcher, both migrating from the Western Ghats for breeding before returning south ahead of the monsoon.
Smaller winter migrants from the Himalayan and North-Eastern highlands—such as the Verditer Flycatcher with its brilliant turquoise hue and the Himalayan Bluetail with its striking blue tail—descend to Dalma Hills at around 950 metres above sea level. Siberian Rubythroat and Taiga Flycatcher also travel from the vast Taiga forests to the grasslands of Dobo, Chotabanki and Hurlung, preferring Jamshedpur’s mild winter climate and feeding on insects.
The riverbanks of Kharkai and Subernarekha, along with lakes and reservoirs of Dimna, Sitarampur and Chandil, typically host water birds from subarctic regions and Northern Europe. Among the notable migrants are Ruddy Shelducks with their orange-brown plumage, intricately patterned Gadwalls, vibrant Red-crested Pochards, the striking Tufted Ducks with yellow eyes, and the elegant Great Crested Grebe.
