Migratory Birds & Wildlife — Set 5

Correct Answer: B. Migratory birds accumulate fat as fuel for long-distance flights, doubling their weight before migration

Fat reserves are the primary fuel for long-distance migratory flights. Before migration, birds enter a hyperphagic (over-eating) phase and accumulate fat that can double their body weight. A small bird like the Garden Warbler may store over 40% of its body weight as fat. During non-stop flights over the ocean or desert, birds metabolise this fat over days without eating or drinking. Birds with insufficient fat reserves may die of starvation mid-migration. Stopover sites where birds can refuel are thus critically important.

Correct Answer: B. One of India's most critically endangered birds threatened by hunting, power lines, and habitat loss

The Great Indian Bustard is one of India's most critically endangered birds with only about 150-200 individuals remaining. It faces threats from power line collisions (major mortality cause), hunting, habitat loss (grassland conversion to agriculture and solar farms), and disturbance. Rajasthan's Desert National Park is the last stronghold. A Supreme Court order restricts overhead power lines in Great Indian Bustard habitat. Captive breeding has been started as an emergency measure. This bird was once a candidate for India's national bird.

Correct Answer: B. A wide variety of resident and migratory birds including waterfowl and waders

Yamuna Biodiversity Park in Delhi hosts a wide variety of both resident and migratory birds including waterfowl, waders, kingfishers, and various songbirds. The park was developed along the Yamuna floodplain to restore degraded ecosystems. Though in the middle of Delhi, its wetlands and grasslands attract migratory ducks, grebes, and waders during winter. The park demonstrates that urban biodiversity conservation is possible even in megacities. It is managed by the Delhi Development Authority.

Correct Answer: B. It spends 10 months continuously in the air, sleeping and mating aloft, coming to land only to breed

The Common Swift is exceptional because it spends approximately 10 months each year continuously in the air — sleeping, eating, mating, and bathing on the wing — coming to land only during the breeding season. They feed exclusively on airborne insects and spiders. Common Swifts that migrate to India cover thousands of kilometres from their European and Central Asian breeding grounds. Their aerial lifestyle makes them among the most aerial of all birds.

Correct Answer: B. Ensuring a chain of suitable habitats (wetlands, forests) spaced along migration routes for birds to rest and feed

Habitat Connectivity refers to ensuring an interconnected chain of suitable habitats spaced along migration routes that allow birds to rest, feed, and refuel during their long-distance journeys. Loss of even a few key stopover sites can make migration biologically impossible, causing population crashes. India's network of wetlands from the Gangetic plains to the coasts functions as a chain of critical stopover sites. Conservation efforts must consider the entire migration network, not just breeding or wintering sites in isolation.

Correct Answer: B. Keoladeo Ghana National Park (Bharatpur)

Keoladeo Ghana National Park (Bharatpur) in Rajasthan is often called the 'Bird Paradise of India' or the 'Sarus Crane Paradise'. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Ramsar Wetland that attracts over 370 bird species including hundreds of thousands of migratory ducks, geese, herons, and waders each winter. Painted Storks, Open-billed Storks, and numerous waterbirds breed there in the monsoon season. It was originally a duck-hunting reserve for the Bharatpur royal family before becoming a sanctuary.

Correct Answer: B. A UN treaty for the conservation of migratory animals and their habitats across national borders

The Convention on Migratory Species (CMS or Bonn Convention) is a United Nations environmental treaty that aims to conserve migratory animals and their habitats across national boundaries. It covers all migratory animals — birds, marine mammals, bats, insects, and fish. India is a signatory to CMS. The convention recognises that migratory species need international cooperation since they cross multiple countries' borders. It provides a framework for countries along migration routes to cooperate in conservation efforts.

Correct Answer: B. Using multiple cues including Earth's magnetic field, sun position, star patterns, landmarks, and smell

Migratory birds use multiple navigation cues: Earth's magnetic field (they have magnetite particles in their beaks for magnetic sensing), the sun's position and polarised light patterns, star patterns at night, geographical landmarks like mountains, rivers, and coasts, and even smell in some species like pigeons. Young birds have innate programming for their first migration direction and distance, while adults use experience and learned landmarks. This remarkable navigation system evolved over millions of years of bird evolution.

Correct Answer: B. The Himalayas serve as a barrier that channels migrating birds through mountain passes creating spectacular migration spectacles

The Himalayas serve as a massive geographical barrier that channels migrating birds through specific mountain passes, creating some of the world's most spectacular raptor and crane migrations. Key passes like the Khunjerab, Rohtang, and Bomdila see millions of birds funnelled through annually. The Eastern Himalayas particularly are known for tremendous raptor migration. Himalayan passes also force high-altitude migrants like Bar-headed Geese to demonstrate their extraordinary physiological adaptations for high-altitude flight.

Correct Answer: B. Birds that appear far outside their normal range due to storms, navigational errors, or unusual weather

Vagrant birds are individuals that appear far outside their normal range or migration route, usually due to storms blowing them off course, navigational errors by young birds, or unusual weather patterns. They are a delight for birdwatchers as rare unexpected visitors. India records numerous vagrants blown off the Central Asian or East Asian flyways. Famous vagrant records in India include Yellow-browed Warbler, Pied Wheatear, and various North American shorebirds that appear on Indian coasts.