A research team of AVC College, Mannampandal, has spotted Indian Skimmer birds at the Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary in Nagapattinam district.
The birds were sighted in the sanctuary on December 19 by a team headed by J. Pandiyan, Assistant Professor of Zoology and Wildlife Biology of the college, during a field visit conducted in connection with a project.
Nearly 27 birds were sighted during a random counting and photographed by the team which conveyed the information to the Forest Department officials of the sanctuary. The sanctuary attracts large varieties of migratory water birds every year.
This was one of the significant recording in the sanctuary, said Dr. Pandiyan working on a couple of projects, including the one on status on climate change and migratory shore birds in collaboration with the Tamil Nadu Forest Department.
The Indian skimmer or Indian scissors bill (Rynchops albicollis) is one of the three species that belong to the skimmer family.
Found mainly in rivers or estuaries, the birds forage for food by flying low over the water with the bill open and lower mandible skimming through the water. These birds feed mainly on fish besides taking small crustaceans and insect larvae. They often feed at dusk and can be very nocturnal, Dr. Pandiyan said citing from a book named Birds of Indian Subcontinent authored by Grimmett et al in 2011. Their dwindling number has resulted in it being classified as vulnerable by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), he said.