Endangered Indian Skimmers Spotted at Satkosia. A team of three members of Kalinga Birds, a leading birding group in Odisha comprising of Sri, Pramod Dhal, Manoj Sahoo and Somshri Patnaik spotted and photographed 100s of Indian Skimmer birds at Satkosia on 25th and 26th Oct. 2014. These birds are residents of Mahandi River at Satkosia but have never been sighted in this large number together. “This sighting is a very happy event for all bird lovers in Odisha, especially because of the vulnerable status of these beautiful birds” said Shri Birakishore Bhujbal, an official of Wild Orissa.
The population of Indian skimmer is now mainly within India and Pakistan and is estimated to be about 6,000-10,000 individuals. The decreasing population has led it to being classed as Vulnerable by the IUCN. It is threatened by habitat loss and degradation, pollution and disturbance by humans. Most colonies are unprotected but some lie within nature reserves such as National Chambal (Gharial) Wildlife Sanctuary in India. This time the sighting of such rare and endangered birds in the river Mahanadi at Satkoshia range of our state is quite encouraging .
Souce: Odisha Diary