First time, the Bar-headed goose (Anser Indicus) has been spotted in the wetlands of Karingali Puncha, near Pandalam in Pathanamthitta, Kerala.
- The six member team which noticed the bird included Robin C. Koshy, Jiji Sam, Libin Abraham, Stebin, Aben and Sabu.
- The Puncha is a major birding spot in the district which reported the highest bird count in the Asian Waterfowl Census of 2015. The bar-headed goose was the 336th bird species found in the district.
About Bar-headed goose
- Bar-headed geese breed in central China and Mangolia and they start migration to the Indian sub-continent during the winter.
- They are one of the birds which can fly even at very high altitude. They come to India and return to their homes by crossing the Himalayan ranges.
- Bar-headed goose is known to fly high.
- They cross the Himalayas on one of the most high-altitude migrations in the world.
- Their ability to sustain the high oxygen demands of flight in air that is exceedingly oxygen-thin is exceptional.
- The goose’s high-altitude flights have been a biological mystery for decades. A mountain climber spotted a bar-headed goose overhead while summiting Mount Everest back in 1953. They boast an enhanced ability to bind oxygen to their hemoglobin.
- According to a study by the Graham R. Scott and others found that heart rates and metabolic costs of flight increase with elevation and can be near maximal during steep climbs. (Source: The Hindu and others)
