Jubilee Park’s Jayanti Sarovar has become the favourite nesting ground for migratory birds. Picture by Bhola Prasad

Jamshedpur, Nov. 3: The nip is back in the Jamshedpur air as are the migratory birds, hundreds of who have flocked to the city in the last few days to escape the sub-Himalayan chill during winter.

The birds — Brown Shrike (Lanius Cristatus), Yellow Wagtail White Wagtail (Motacilla Alba), Northern Pintail (Anas Acuta), Common Pochard (Aythya Ferina), Pheasant Tailed Jacana (Hydrophasianus Chirurgus), Common Moorhen (Gallinula Chloropus), Eurasian Coot (Fulica Atra), Eurasian Teal (Anas Crecca) and Tufted Pochard (Nyroca Fuligula) — have created quite the flutter since their arrival, their chirping catching the eyes of visitors flocking Tata zoo.

The winged guests, who make Jubilee Park’s Jayanti Sarovar and Tata zoo’s safari enclosure their abode for four months during winter every year, have brought smiles back on the faces of bird watchers, who with their binoculars out, are following every chirping and flapping of these avian creatures.

“In fact, these birds have in a way become added attractions for the zoo. They have kind of created an aesthetic environment for both adults and children who enjoy their presence,” said Rajnish Kumar, member of Tata Steel Zoological Society.

He added that the zoo this time around had attracted three new avian species, the Tufted Pochard, the Yellow Wagtail and the White Wagtail.

While a the Tufted Pochards — which are aquatic — were nesting in and around Jayanti Sarovar, the terrestrial ones — like the yellow and white wagtails — were staying put near the safari area of the zoo.

“Jayanti Sarovar is the shelter of many wetland birds, who over the years have been paying regular visits to the water reservoir. Among the winter visitors, the wetland birds like the Little Cormorent and the White Breasted Water Hens have become natives of the place. Others, like the Pheasant Tailed Jacana, Common Moorhen and Common Pochard, keep coming back to the zoo every year,” said Prasun Das, an avid bird watcher who regularly visits the zoo during winter.

According to him, the birds start flying in right at the onset of winter and stay till the first week of February at least. “Migratory birds, flocking in by the dozen, is a good sign. It is indicative of the rich and balanced ecology inside the zoo,” Das said.

He added that the Indian subcontinent was very rich in biodiversity. Out of the more than 9,000 species found in the world, the Indian subcontinent alone was home to 1,300 species or 13 per cent of the world’s bird population.

“To guard from this, nature has provided two methods. One, known as hibernation, involves entering a dormant state during the winter season. The other method, known as migration, involves escaping an area for a particular period of time. Because of the powers of flight, most birds adapt to seasonal changes in the environment by migrating from one favourable place to another,” he said.