[ Prem Chetry ]
BOMDILA, 7 Mar: For the first time, a bar-headed goose (Anser indicus), a migratory bird, was sighted at Morshing village in West Kameng district on Friday.
Lobjang Nima said, “This is a rare sighting for us to have a winter visitor here for the first time. This shows that Morshing-Domkho-Sanglem (MSD) is a haven for such rare migratory birds.”
Earlier, in February, a pair of black-necked cranes was sighted for the first time in the district. Rinchin Norbu, the owner of the self-owned Lama Tenpai Dronmey Museum said, “Earlier, a good number of other migratory birds used to come here. Owing to hunting, such seasonal birds have stopped coming here.”
The bar-headed goose, a migratory bird species, is native to Asia and Europe. It is listed as ‘least concern’ on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List.
Though it is not considered rare globally, its population is declining in some parts of its range due to habitat loss, hunting, and other human activities. On the contrary, in certain regions, including the Indian subcontinent, the bar-headed goose is considered a rare winter visitor.
In other regions, such as the Tibetan plateau and parts of Europe, the species is more common and widespread.
