Asia’s first sighting of Light-mantled Albatross (Phoebetria palpebrate), a species native to the Antarctic seas, was recorded at Rameswaram coast.
- Rameswaram and adjoining islets of the Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park on the Adam’s Bridge (Ram Setu) are known for their unique marine ecosystem.
Key highlights
- Changes in the wind pattern triggered by global warming are bringing strange birds to our region. A lot of changes are happening in the wind pattern owing to the increase in atmospheric temperature.
- Birds like albatross, that are known to be on the move, use the wind and save their energy during flights.
- The Light-mantled Albatross, with broad pelagic habits, maintains a circumpolar distribution in the Southern Ocean.
- It breeds on several sub-Antarctic islands, such as Macquarie Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands (Australia), South Georgia Island (British Overseas Territory), Prince Edward Islands (South Africa), Iles Kerguelen and Iles Crozet (France), and Auckland, Campbell, and Antipodes Islands (New Zealand).
- The Light-mantled Albatross forage over cold Antarctic waters as far south as the pack ice in summer.
- It is listed as a ‘Near Threatened’ species by the ICUN.
- The Light-mantled Albatross has a worldwide population of 21,600 breeding pairs, according to an estimate in 1998.
(Source: The Hindu)
