Guwahati, Feb. 21: A metal ring with the inscription “Hiddensee Germania EA096970” has opened a new window for ornithologists of the Northeast studying the migratory route of the large Indian kite.
For two years, birdwatchers in Assam and Manipur have been trying to find out the migratory route of the avian species — also known as the black-eared kite of the Milvius Lineatus (gray).
When a kite wearing the ring with the words “Hiddensee Germania EA096970” landed in Manipur in October 2001, it had avian experts of the region hunting for the place of its origin.
The breakthrough came from a researcher from Frankfurt, Germany, Jessica Scheider who informed ornithologist Anwaruddin Choudhury of Assam that the bird was ringed in Mongolia in its nest on July 18, 2001, by Michael Stubbe from the University of Halle, Germany.
Ornithologists here have now managed to put together one of the unsolved puzzles about the Indian kite.
Choudhury said the ringed bird was captured live by a villager near Loktak Lake in Manipur on October 22, 2001. Efforts to buy the bird and release it by R.K. Ranjan Singh of Manipur University did not succeed as the owner refused to part with his prize catch.
The late E.C. Stuart Baker, ornithologist and former inspector-general of police, Assam and Eastern Bengal provinces had mentioned about its breeding in the hills, south of the Brahmaputra, adding that it is mainly a winter visitor elsewhere in India. But it has never ventured to the extreme south. However, there is little data on its migratory habits or route.
“This is perhaps the first concrete evidence of migration of the “lineatus” from Mongolia to India and has provided useful data. This also shows how important a role the ring plays in unravelling the mystery of migration,” Choudhury told The Telegraph.
The rings are usually made of a magnesium aluminium-alloy. For marine birds, stainless steel rings are used which resist abrasion by sand and the effects of saltwater. Coloured rings are made of different kinds of plastics and can be recognised and read from greater distance.