(a) the names of the places of the country with season in which the migratory birds visit usually;
(b) whether there has been a decline in their number; and
(c) if so, the steps taken/proposed to be taken by the Government to increase their number and facilitate their stay?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
(DR. MAHESH SHARMA)
(a) Migratory species are omnipotent in nature and are found in Protected as well as non-Protected Areas, both urban and village areas. The winter visitors arrive in India by October and stay till March/April. The summer migrants start coming to India from mid-March and occurs in India till August. The important species of migratory birds that visit India and their important breeding ground outside India include:
Species Important Breeding ground outside India
Sociable Lapwing (Vanellus gregarious)
Kazakhstan, Russia, etc.
Siberian Crane ( Grus antigone) Siberia (Russia)
Great Knot (Calidris tenuirostris)
Siberia, Russia,
Bar-headed Geese (Anser indicus)
Mangolia, China, Tibet
Little Stint (Calidris minutq)
Arctic Region (Siberia-Russia)
Spoon-billed Sandpiper (Calidris pygmaea) Chukotsk peninsula and southwards to the isthmus of the Kamchatka peninsula, in north-eastern Russia
Baer''s Pochard (Aythya baeri)
Russia, China
Lesser White-fronted Goose (Anser erythropusi)
Finland, Norway, Sweden, Russia, etc.
Amur Falcon (Falco amurensis)
China, Russia
European Roller (Coracias garrulous) Morocco, south-west and south-central Europe and Asia Minor
Western Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosusi) Western Europe (Finland, Poland, Germany, etc.), Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan)
(b) and (c) Although there is no specific assessment conducted by the Ministry with respect to population of migratory birds visiting India recently, assessments by Wetlands International in the past indicated that some migratory bird showed a decreasing trend, whereas some species indicated a stable population.
The important steps taken by the Government for protection of migratory birds include:
i. Rare and endangered species of birds including migratory birds are included in Schedule-I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 thereby according them the highest degree of protection.
ii. Stringent punishments have been provided in the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 for violation of provisions of the Act.
iii. Important habitats of birds, including migratory birds have been notified as Protected Areas under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 for better conservation and protection of birds and their habitats. Financial assistance is provided to the States/UT Governments for protection and management of wildlife and its habitats.
iv. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has prepared a ‘National Action Plan for conservation of migratory birds along the Central Asian Flyway’. This Action Plan provides for a coordinated approach for implementing the Action Plan in all the States and Union Territories.
v. Focused protection measures involving the local communities have been taken up in the State of Nagaland for protection of Amur Falcons that migrate to North East India on their route to Southern Africa. With the coordinated efforts of the Forest Department, Government of Nagaland, NGO’s scientific institutes and local communities, killing of Amur Falcons have become ‘zero’ since 2013.
vi. India is a signatory to the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and India has also signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with CMS on conservation of Siberian Cranes and Raptors.
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