A group of six black storks (Ciconia nigra), most likely to be passage migrants, were photographed recently in the Sigur plateau in the Nilgiris.
Murali. M, a wildlife photographer who records winter migrants to the Sigur plateau each year, photographed the storks. He said the sighting of the black stork in this region was extremely rare. “There has been a previous record in Nagarhole in Karnataka, but they seem to have been very rarely recorded in the Nilgiris,” said Mr. Murali.
Though the species is classified by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to be of “Least Concern” due to their wide geographical range – extending across parts of Europe, Asia and Africa, the population of the species is believed to have declined sharply in the last few decades.
Researchers familiar with the study of storks and wetland bird species said that over the last few years, there had been sightings of the black stork in Coimbatore as recently as 2019.
“The population of not just the black stork, but other wetland birds too has declined sharply in the last few decades. This can be due to a number of reasons, including habitat loss and dramatic change in local habitats. There are even conservation plans for black storks to improve their wintering conditions in Europe,” said a researcher studying wetland bird species in Tamil Nadu.
“Like most species, we need continuous monitoring of the black stork during its winter migration. The wetlands this species and others use have to be identified and protected to ensure that there is no further decline in the populations of these birds,” he said.