Winged guests make an early entrance at Delhi zoo

Almost 140 painted storks have already arrived, zoo officials said, adding that the water bodies in the zoo are full of the winged creatures with long, yellow beaks. “By the end of August, the numbers may reach more than 500,” said Pandey.

This monsoon, the Delhi zoo has an early winged visitor which usually arrives from eastern parts of the country around mid-August.

Almost 140 painted storks have already arrived in the zoo. Officials expect the numbers to reach more than 500 by the end of the month.  (Photo shared by Delhi zoo)

“This year, painted storks were spotted here as early as on August 6. The numbers have been growing since... Usually they are seen arriving from eastern parts of the country by mid or late August. The zoo is one of the few places in Delhi where painted storks nest and breed, which is one of the major factors for the zoo to be considered a birding spot,” said Ramesh Kumar Pandey, Delhi zoo director.

Almost 140 painted storks have already arrived, zoo officials said, adding that the water bodies in the zoo are full of the winged creatures with long, yellow beaks. “By the end of August, the numbers may reach more than 500,” said Pandey.

With the season for migratory birds just beginning, the zoo authorities plan to organise guided birdwatching tours for students and bird enthusiasts over the coming weeks.

“We plan to organise the first guided trip over the coming week when there will be more number of birds. It will be organised on a day when the zoo is closed for visitors. Initially, we plan to have a group of 20 bird watchers. We will hand over a pair of binoculars to the participants and lead the tour,” said Pandey.

According to zoo officials, August to October is the peak breeding season for the painted storks which stay here till March before flying away with their chicks.

“A structured bird-watching tour can be good learning for bird enthusiasts as well as students. The zoo does have a good diversity of bird species and could emerge as one of the many birdwatching sites for birders in Delhi,” said Pankaj Gupta, a birder.

The zoo has at least 50 kinds of free-ranging avian species most part of the year including herons, white-breasted kingfisher, cormorants, parakeets, yellow-footed green pigeon, brown-headed barbet, black ibis, grey hornbill, jungle babbler and spot-billed ducks.

According to a research paper titled “Breeding patterns of painted storks at Delhi zoo” authored by Abdul J Urfi, from school of environmental sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, the Delhi zoo has been an important breeding site for the painted stork since 1960. “Most nesting occurred in mesquite trees (Prosopis juliflora) on islands in the ponds at the Zoo. The breeding season begins in late August. This zoo site may be the only nesting colony site for the painted stork in the Delhi region,” it stated.

Birders said that though the painted stork, a wetland bird, is found in many marshes and green patches in Delhi, they have been found nesting only at the Delhi zoo.

Close to Delhi’s border, the Sultanpur National Park, essentially a bird sanctuary on the Gurugram-Jhajjar highway, is also known for a huge nesting colony of painted storks. “The painted storks have been spotted there as well,” said Gupta.

The Delhi zoo opened on August 1, more than two months after it was shut during the second wave of the pandemic.

The Delhi zoo was shut for visitors on March 18 last year, a week before the nationwide lockdown was imposed, and was followed by the avian flu in January this year.

The zoo had finally reopened on April 1 this year, only to be closed again on April 15, as the second wave of the pandemic struck the nation.