BNHS tagged Redshank bird from Mumbai makes 5,000 km-plus journey to Russia

Sending waves of excitement among nature lovers, a bird tagged by the 139-year-old research body Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS-India) has been found in Russia.

BNHS has confirmed the finding of Common RedShank that was tagged by researchers at TS Chanakya wetland in Navi Mumbai.

“The bird, about 30 cm in length, flew at least 5,100 km from Mumbai to Altai in Russia where it was noticed by Alexey Ebel of the Russian Bird Conservation Union (RBCU). On seeing the tag, Alexy sent an email to BNHS and after due process, we could confirm that the bird was tagged by us,” BNHS scientist Mrugank Prabhu said.

In a tweet, BNHS said: “From Mumbai to Altai - this Common RedShank, tagged by the BNHS team, has covered a distance of at least 5,100 km”.

The common redshank nests in wet meadows in Iceland, Britain, much of continental Europe, the Middle East, and temperate Asia (to 4,500 metres in the Himalayas), and it winters from Africa to the Philippines. It is not considered a threatened species by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), but is protected by the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) under the UNEP, scientists say.

This is not the first time that BNHS tagged birds have been noticed at several places, said B N Kumar, Director, NatConnect Foundation.

In fact, some birds tagged by it for research to study the flight pattern as part of the air-safety exercise for the Navi Mumbai International Airport have been found back in Uran and Alibaug near Mumbai.

This confirms the site fidelity -- a typical characteristic of birds to frequent the same site for roosting and resting -- said another BNHS scientist.

“This is exactly why we have been campaigning to save the wetlands of Navi Mumbai and Mumbai to avoid chaos among birds if they miss the destinations that they are used to,” NatConnect said.