Migratory birds here for winter holidays

KATHMANDU, Nepal – With the onset of winter, different species of birds started entering Nepal to spend their winter holiday here. Of late birds from Tibet began to arrive and according to ornithologists, various species of them will come here all the way from Siberia and other parts of the earth to avert cold.

The winter birds descend down to warmer plains in the south from much colder areas in the north to avoid the harsh weather condition and shortage of food; whereas the summer birds travel towards north from south especially for breeding proposes, ornithologists say.

People see numerous of White Wagtails heading to south from north making long chains at the sky above clouds. As many as 198 migratory birds were counted till Sunday in this winter, a report by state-run news agency quoted Basu Bidari, Chairman of the Bird Education Society, Sauraha as saying. The birds mostly pass the night at the Narayani River bank spread in Divyanagar and Siswar area of the Park during the winter days, added Bidari.

Chitwan, a well known bird hotspot with more than 600 species, attracts a huge number of migratory birds, seasonally, but returned to their homes with the end of the winter.

Apart from Chitwan, Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve, Bardiya National Park, Shivapuri National Park among other sites also witness huge number of migratory birds gathered every winter.

According to Bird Society Nepal, as many as 800 bird species are found in Nepal.