Migratory birds to battle heat in Rajasthan

JODHPUR: About a dozen Kurjan (Demoiselle Cranes), a migratory bird from Central Eurasia, will be battling the blistering heat of the desert. These birds failed to take off for their original habitat with their flock in March and are now preparing themselves for the soaring mercury.
About five of them have been sighted in Phalodi’s Khichan, their Indian habitat, while about eight have been sighted in Jaisalmer’s Chandhan and Jodhpur’s Rohet-Gudha Bishnoian area. While some find it tough for them to sustain the high temperature of the desert as they are not used to the temperatures above 30 degrees but some believe that they would be able to sail through this torrid spell of weather and would reunite with their flock next winter.
Chief wildlife warden, Arindam Tomar said, “Many times few migratory birds could not fly back. But, they have been seen joining the flock in the next season. Water and food is provided to those left behind in protected areas and conservation reserves.”
“Though, at times due to injuries, a few birds could not fly but this time, some birds are left out unhurt, may be because of some weakness or other reason,” said a wildlife biologist Sumit Dookia from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University. But Dookia is confident of their survival despite harsh weather spell. “Some withered birds, which could not fly back, have been surviving at the Jodhpur zoo,” he added.
But, Anil Kumar Chhangani, Head of the environmental Science department at Maharaja Ganga Singh University, Bikaner, said that these birds are not meant for survival in temperatures above 30 degrees. “They survive if some human intervention is there and are rescued in friendly conditions,” said Chhangani. If they succeed to survive extreme weather conditions and reunite with their flock next winter, it will be a subject of research for the experts for their environmental tolerance and hormonal changes.