Nearly 50 migratory bird species arrive at Godavari estuary

Explore the diverse ecosystems of Godavari estuary, winter home to nearly 50 migratory bird species including endangered Great Knot.

Nearly 50 migratory bird species including the endangered Great Knot (Calidris tenuirostris) and Indian Skimmer (Rynchops albicollis) have made the Godavari estuary as its winter home for ‘breeding’ on the East Coast. The Godavari estuary is a mix of diverse ecosystems of mangroves, mudflats and an island formed a century ago in the Kakinada Bay. 

On October 23, as many as four Great Knots were sighted at Etimoga, a mudflat that serves as a feeding ground for many migratory bird species. However, more number of Great Knots are expected to arrive at the Coringa mangroves in November. The species migrate from Russia for feeding in the Godavari estuary. 

A week ago, a whopping number of 350 Indian Skimmers (Rynchops albicollis) was sighted at Bhairvapalem, a confluence of Coringa river into Bay of Bengal. The Bhairvalapalem is nestled between the dense mangrove cover. Indian Skimmer migrates from river basins of Chambal and Mahanadi to the Godavari estuary for feeding. 

Until recent years, Kumbabhisekham mudfat, adjacent to the Kakinada deep sea port, was home to both Great Knot and Indian Skimmer and it was one of the country’s rare mudflats where both these endangered species were sighted together. The two species are believed to be changing its habitat due to various threats to the Kumbabhishekam, which falls in the Central Asian Flyway (CAF).

“By the end of October, above 50 migratory birds species from Siberia region arrived for its annual sojourn at Godavari estuary. All these species including endangered Great Knot and Indian Skimmer arrived for breeding. None of these species breed in the Godavari estuary,” said Mr. D. Mahesh Babu, Andhra Pradesh State Coordinator, Indian Bird Conservation Network. Mr. Mahesh Babu has been documenting the migratory bird species in the Godavari estuary for over a decade. 

“Migrating from Siberia region, a small flock of 14 Eurasian Oyestercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus) birds has been sighted for the first time at Bhairavapalem. The species has also been sighted at Etimoga, which is also not its habitat, but sighted along with the Indian Skimmer,” said Mr. Mahesh Babu.

In a recent bird survey conducted by the Coringa Wildlife Management officials in the Godavari estuary, as many as seven Eurasian Curlews (Numenius Arquata) were sighted at Bhairavapalem. The species migrate from Central Siberia. Curlew Sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea) and Wimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) are among the species that attract the birdwatchers to the estuary.