Yearly, on the onset of winters, a breath-taking spectacle alongside the coastal wetlands of Mumbai and Navi Mumbai turns it pink. With the city panorama in its background, it’s as if the coastal wetlands have been painted with a mosaic of engaging and chic pink. This occurs because of the migration, in massive numbers, of higher flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus) and lesser flamingos (Phoenicopterus minor) to Mumbai. The migration sample of the flamingos appears to be ruled by monsoon they usually normally arrive in Mumbai from Gujarat, Rajasthan, and a few from south-central Asia and past.
Flamingos are recognized for his or her engaging pink feathers, lengthy legs and distinctively curved payments. 6 species of flamingos recognized worldwide, of those the higher flamingo is usually noticed in Mumbai. The lesser flamingo can be noticed in Mumbai. Higher flamingo is categorized as least concern whereas the lesser flamingo is categorized as close to threatened by the Worldwide Union for Conservation of Nature’ Red List of Threatened Species. It’s straightforward to distinguish between the 2 species.
The lesser flamingos are round three toes tall and have rose-pinkish colors. The higher flamingos are about 5 toes tall and have whitish-pink colors. Lesser flamingos are shorter in stature they usually compensate this with their wealthy and vibrant colors. The smaller ones have deep pink feathers, practically purple legs, and a black invoice, whereas the bigger ones have mild pink legs and some pink streaks on their feathers. The flamingos have earned their identify as a result of at sundown they resemble flames.
Flamingos are extremely sociable and normally type massive colonies in shallow wetlands the place they feed on algae, crustaceans, and small invertebrates. Their pink colouration is a results of their food plan which is wealthy in carotenoid pigments. The birds stalk over the mud flats with their beaks skimming the bottom as they take within the soiled water to be processed by their particular filtration programs, into meals. Lesser flamingos largely eat cyanobacteria or blue-green algae, and higher flamingos additionally eat mussels, shrimp and different sorts of meals. The mud flats of Thane Creek are coated in monumental quantities of those cyanobacteria, far more than another Creek round.
Though these flamingos started migrating to Mumbai in massive numbers solely because the Nineties, they’re no longer simply guests however important parts of Mumbai’s ecosystem. They’re particularly discovered alongside the 26 km Thane Creek within the East of Mumbai. With speedy urbanisation of Mumbai because the Seventies, Thane Creek witnessed a rise within the discharge of enormous quantity of untreated sewage from town. This nurtured the expansion of algae that are the principle meals of those flamingos. This early urbanisation transformed the area into a feeding ground for the flamingos and made the Creek their alternate dwelling.
In Mumbai, the mudflats of Sewri, Bhigwan Chook Sanctuary, Thane Creek and the coastal areas of Navi Mumbai district are the distinguished locations to look at the flamingos. Flamingos have turn into a part of Mumbai’s coastal panorama however efforts have to be made to attach them with the typical Mumbaikar. Efforts have already been made within the type of Run for Flamingo occasions however there’s a clear must do extra. Flamingos have begun dealing with new threats together with ones already confronted by them. Indiscriminate urbanization in the direction of the coast, air pollution, lack of habitat and associated human disturbance pose vital dangers to the flamingos.
Fast industrialization and encroachment on wetlands in recent times have led to habitat degradation. Air pollution from industrial effluents additional compounds the issue, contaminating the water and immediately affecting the meals supply of the flamingos. As well as, whereas the mangroves support the local biodiversity and are beneficial for the fish population, they develop on the mudflats and reduce the obtainable protected space for the flamingos to forage.
Mangroves have many different makes use of equivalent to appearing as barrier in opposition to the surge of storm and sea stage rise which makes them essential within the space. The Authorities of Maharashtra additionally banned their elimination in 2018. However to maintain the mudflats intact for the flamingos, the Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary must innovate methods such that each the mangroves and flamingo habitats will be protected and stored protected.
The not too long ago inaugurated Mumbai Trans Harbour Hyperlink (MTHL) spans 22 km and connects Sewri and Uran going alongside the flamingo habitat. The brand new airport in Navi Mumbai additionally has appreciable potential to affect the migratory habitat of flamingos. Flamingo habitat administration is essential to make sure not simply the conservation of those enchanting pink birds, but additionally flight security after the airport turns into absolutely operational.
A draft tourism initiative in Navi Mumbai has most not too long ago put a question mark on the sustainability of flamingo habitat. Threats like these requires all residents of Mumbai to acknowledge the significance of flamingos and be part of efforts for the conservation of their habitats. Flamingos are iconic birds serving as image of ecological concord within the quickly urbanising Mumbai metropolis. Mumbai must make them an integral a part of its socio-cultural cloth by celebrating their arrival and giving them a heat send-off 12 months after 12 months.
Picture by B. Sarangi
