37 bird species spotted in char areas of Padma
A research team has spotted 37 bird species in different char (riverbed) areas of Padma river in Rajshahi this week.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) under its Bangladesh Wild Bird Monitoring Programme conducted the survey across a 39-kilometre part of the Padma.
Bangladesh Birds Club, Rajshahi Bird Club and Department of Forests jointly supported the survey.
IUCN bird researcher Simanta Dipu told local journalists that majority of the species were spotted in Char Khanpur, Char Khidirpur, 10 Number Char, and part of Charghat.
During the survey, a total of 4,025 birds of 37 species were counted, 27 of which were migratory, said Dipu.
She said the Padma has become compartmentalised by the development of charlands, which are generally a seasonal natural process of the riverine ecology and have a complex ecosystem.
The survey was conducted with focus on the char lands of the river basin. Such riverine habitats support a wide variety of bird species, many of which nest on sandbars and others forage along or in the water channel.
During winter, a number of migratory birds fly in to the Padma char lands, and some people hunt these birds to earn money. Nur-E-Soud, a member of Rajshahi Bird Club, demanded declaration of the Padma riverbeds as a sanctuary for birds.
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