India losing charm for Siberian crane, Sociable Plover

New Delhi, Sept 6 (UNI) Some rare migratory birds like the Siberian Crane and the Sociable Plover are arriving in lesser numbers in the country, the Government told the Rajya Sabha today.

However, there has been no noticeable decline in the overall arrival of the migratory birds into the country, Minister of State for Environment and Forests S Regupathy told the House in a written answer.

He said the migratory birds generally start arriving in the country during July-August and the maximum arrival takes place during September and October.

Some of the important wetlands where relatively large congregation of the birds occur are -- Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur (Rajasthan), Sultanpur National Park (Haryana), Ranganthitoo Bird Sanctuary (Karnataka) and Nawabganj (Uttar Pradesh), he said.

The Minister said 25 wetlands had been declared as wetlands of international importance (Ramsar sites). Besides a large number of such wetlands have been declared as protected areas (sanctuaries, national parks and conservation reserves) primarily for protection of these birds.

Moreover, a Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, with a network of five regional and three sub-regional, has been set up to control wildlife crimes, he added.

UNI