S.Ganesan

Bird movements tracked to determine relation between locations and H5N1 outbreaks

STUDYING THE DISEASE FACTOR: S.Balachandran, Assistant Director, BNHS, releasing a bar-headed goose that was fitted with a transmitter at Koonthankulam.

Tracking the migratory routes of songbirds is now easy songbird populations have been declining over the last half century. Understanding their annual migration would aid conservation measures. A study has used coin-sized geolocators to track the migration of two species of songbirds. This has thrown up new information: songbirds travel much faster than previously known. Initially

Rising temperatures push North American birds to the far north BIRDS usually fly south to warmer regions in winter. But birds in North America were found moving north to colder climes in early winter. Audubon Society, a leading US-based advocacy group for conserving wildlife and ecology, reported this unusual change in migratory patterns in February 2009 after a study over four decades.

To many scientists, climate change is the likely cause of altered life-cycle patterns among plants and animals. Not all species are showing such effects yet, but the gradual movement of some plants to higher altitudes, and changes in the abundance of particular species are thought to be linked to a rising average global temperature.

BHUBANESWAR: The recent forest fires across the State and rise in February temperature could be the effect of the climate change and global warming. Migratory birds coming to Orissa are affected too by these phenomena, going by their number.

NEW DELHI: Home to over 400 species of birds and

Called the Lesser Adjutant, it belongs to the stork species
Uncommon guest: A Lesser Adjutant which was sighted in the Ansi region recently.

There was a time when the migratory birds used to flock to the Lucknow Zoological Garden in huge numbers. But now their numbers have decreased over the years owing to the increased traffic on the Park Road and the growing urbanisation of the city. There are very few birds visible on the Ashok and semal trees on the Park Road.