Flamingos' safe haven Mumbai turning out to be deadly for the majestic birds

Mumbai: Over the last three decades, the financial capital of Mumbai and its suburbs have emerged as a haven for flamingos, however, recent back to back incidents come as a shocker.

These majestic pink birds are winter guests of Mumbai and the larger Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

In February, at least seven flamingos died after they hit a monstrous signboard off the Nerul Jetty in Navi Mumbai while in April, 10 flamingos were found dead in the DPS Lake area of Nerul in Navi Mumbai.

The 20 May deaths of flamingos in Ghatkopar - because of being struck by a passenger aircraft comes as a shocker.

“We are sad to say that it was a disaster that was waiting to happen,” said BN Kumar, Director, NatConnect Foundation commenting on the incident.

Flamingos were first spotted in Mumbai in 1994.

In fact, the two types of birds of this species Greater flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus) and Lesser flamingos (Phoenicopterus minor) are seen here and this prompted the Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) to join hands with Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS-India) to protect the environs and help in promoting wildlife tourism in this megapolis. They start arriving in October, nesting in mud-flats and leaving before the onset of monsoon.

When the construction of the Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link (MTHL) started, the government declared the Thane Creek as the Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary (TCFS) and was formally certified and given the status of a Ramsar site by the Convention of Wetlands. Lakhs of flamingos would be seen here.

According to a BNHS report, the Thane Creek, which comprises 12 true mangrove species and 39 associate mangrove species, ranks amongst the most important bird habitats in the region and is an interesting dividing line between the Mumbai and Mumbai suburbs, Thane and the city of Navi Mumbai.

A total of around 167 species of birds, 45 species of fishes, 59 species of butterflies and 67 species of Insects species have been recorded here.

Most of these birds, which are found here, arrive from the Great Rann of Kutch in neighbouring Gujarat. Some palaeontologists and ornithologists believe that they are the birds, which is a link between the family of birds comprising storks, herons, ibises, spoonbills and cranes and the group that comprises ducks, swans and geese.

While Greater flamingos are one of the tallest birds found in India (average height of nearly four feet), the Lesser flamingos compensate for their shorter stature with their colour's richness. While the bigger ones have light pink legs and a few streaks of pink on their feathers, the smaller ones have deep pink feathers and almost red legs and a black bill. In the twilight, they look like flames and hence the name has been derived.

Besides Great Rann of Kutch, they are also found in Point Calimere in Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu, Chilka in Orissa and Sambhar in Rajasthan. In Maharashtra a few are also seen in Solapur and Aurangabad.