Wings Of Change

SOME OF THE WORLD’S RAREST BIRDS ARE FOUND IN THE EASTERN HIMALAYAS. BUT A LOT OF FACTORS ARE PUTTING THEIR SURVIVAL AT RISK DEEPANWITA GITA NIYOGI

- Deepanwita Gita Niyogi

WHEN YOU think of the Himalayas, snow-capped peaks, picturesque nature treks and popular tourist spots come to the mind. But the eastern Himalayan region—comprising Sikkim, the Himalayan and the sub-Himalayan regions of West Bengal and Arunachal Pradesh, and neighboring Bhutan—is also home to a great diversity of the avian species.

Birds such as the Indian Pitta (Pitta brachyura) and the Brown-breasted Flycatcher (Muscicapa muttui), which migrate to southern India and Sri Lanka in the winter, can be spotted here during the summer season. As many as 814 species are found in this “sparsely populated” region of Asia, according to a book, Birds of Bhutan and Eastern Himalayas published by Bloomsbury India.

THE EASTERN HIMALAYAS has a “steep and complex” topography. Here, the majestic mountains rise from about 150 meters to above 8,000 meters. Some of the greatest rivers crisscross the region—the Brahmaputra and its tributaries, the Tista and the Manas. Aided by a range of climatic conditions— arctic, sub-arctic, temperate, subtropical and tropical—a wide range of birds thrive. The foothills and the low-lying areas along the tempestuous Brahmaputra are rich in tropical mixed evergreen and semi-evergreen forests for up to 1,000 meters. Extending up to 2,000 meters are also sub-tropical evergreen forests. Besides, deciduous trees like silk cotton or the Bombax ceiba also dot the landscape.