Jorhat, Jan. 11: The once elusive glossy (or black) ibis frolicking in thousands in waterbodies dotting the Kokilamukh-Bongaon stretch in Jorhat and Sivasagar districts has sent bird lovers' spirit soaring.

The migratory bird was earlier seen in pairs of two to four in winter but can now be seen in thousands at Potia Phokola Beel near Neemati Ghat in Jorhat district.

Suryya Kumar Chetia, an ardent bird watcher and assistant professor in the mass communication department of Assam Women's University, said, "I was excited to see so many glossy ibis at the beel. I even videographed them. Some people have, however, expressed apprehension that such large numbers of the bird might eat into the food of local water birds like the heron and the egret. There have been reports of the bird even occupying the nest of herons."

Assistant conservator of forests Gunin Saikia, who was posted here a few years ago, confirmed that earlier he had sighted the ibises only in singles or in pairs. Only once he had seen about 50 of them at Missamari Beel near Jhanjimukh.

"It is good news that so many of them have been sighted. They are beautiful birds with glossy black feathers which shine brilliantly in the sun," he said.

Ananta Bora, the secretary of Keteky Paribex Xangrakhyan Samiti, an NGO, said a flock had stayed back two years ago, created a colony and were now seen to be breeding.

"Till a few years ago, white ibis, black-headed ibis and the black or glossy ibis usually were not seen during summer. But about 85 black ibis were seen to have stayed back and are breeding," he said, adding that their conservation efforts had borne fruit.

A.R. Rahmani, an ornithologist of international repute and a former director of the Bombay Natural History Society, told The Telegraph over phone from Mumbai that the black ibis was widely prevalent in Kerala and Gujarat, where they breed in large numbers, and in northwestern India.

"The sighting is very good news. It means that the birds are expanding their base," he said.

He discarded the apprehension that the black ibis would be a threat to local water birds. He also said that as more marshy land comes under paddy cultivation in their hitherto habitat, the birds are moving out to other parts of the country which is a "very good thing".

The glossy ibis is usually found on the periphery of paddy fields and marshy areas.

Naturalist Anwaruddin Choudhury said in Assam these birds used to breed in the Pani Dihing area of Sivasagar. He, too, binned fears of the bird posing a threat to local waders.

"There could be some competition but there is nothing to be alarmed about. The beak of the glossy ibis is bent and different from the others, which gives it the advantage of picking out other food like water insects and crustacean," he said.