Birders’ Network Finds Rare Pelagic Birds on Karnataka’s Coast

Context: The Birders’ network observed rare ‘pelagic birds’ off  the coast of Dakshina Kannada district  in Karnataka.

• Other birds were sighted including Sooty Shearwater, Brown Skua, Brown Booby, Streaked Shearwater and Masked Booby.

About Pelagic Birds

• Distinctive Wing Adaptations: Pelagic birds have exceptionally long and thin wings that allow them to fly effortlessly for long periods without rest.
  • For Example: Albatross, frigatebirds, fulmars, petrels, shearwaters
• Salt Adaptation Mechanism: Many pelagic birds have special salt glands. This allows them to drink seawater and discard extra salt accidentally ingested with their oceanic prey
• Unique Feeding Strategy: Some pelagic seabirds have one astounding way of acquiring food; a technique called kleptoparasitism. 
  • kleptoparasitism involves an act of robbing smaller species off their prey.
• Limited Land Interaction: Except for breeding, which they do on isolated islands for protection, the birds rarely approach land.
• Occasional Land Encounters: These birds spend much of their lives on the open ocean.
• Breeding colonies: Breeding colonies of pelagic birds are rare in the subcontinent, but some of the 36 scattered and remote islands of Lakshadweep in the Arabian Sea
• Threats: Variety of human-related activities including oil spills, fisheries interactions, contaminants, disturbances, and habitat destruction.
• They are found thousands of miles offshore but can get blown onto land during high winds and storms. 

Must Read: Study Finds Most Himalayan Birds Migrate Downslope

News Source: DTE