By IANS
New Delhi : Pintails, shovelers, common teals… The Delhi zoo is alive to the colour and cacophony of thousands of migratory birds which have flown in from Europe, Russia, the Gulf and Southeast Asia in large numbers.
“Though they always come to the zoo, this time their number is much higher. The zoo offers a conducive environment to these guests. This is one of the factors that make migratory birds choose the Delhi zoo for the winter vacation,” zoo director D.N. Singh told IANS.
After covering a distance of 3,000-5,000 km, these birds start reaching Delhi at the beginning of winter and stay back till summer starts. They start their homeward journey by the end of March every year.
Prominent among the winged visitors this time are pintails, shovelers, common teals and dabchiks. Giving them company are white storks, black-necked storks, white ibises, spot-billed ducks and little cormorants.
These birds are of different sizes and colours. Some are vegetarian and others eat fish, frogs, small creepers and reptiles.
“The migratory birds come here to protect themselves from the intense cold in the country of their origin,” Singh said.
The zoo authorities are engaged in providing a better environment to the new guests. “As many as 80 staff members of the zoo look after them. They are given food of their liking like roasted rice,” Singh said.
The presence of these beautiful birds draws many a visitor to the zoo.
“It is altogether a different experience to see them. I find the painted storks the most colourful,” Gautam Vishal, a visitor, told IANS.