Hi all,
This is a struggling White bellied Swiftlet trapped in a vertically hanged nets in front of a garage in Havelock Island of Andaman on 25th December,2009.
Many People in Andaman islands consider them as pests because these birds prefer to make a colony in hundreds, in places like garages , warehouses, shops etc. So to prevent it, they put nets in front of the entrance wherever is possible. Many birds get trapped in nets and many of them manage to go in but can not come out and starve to death.
Yet, these birds prefer to make a colony in human settlements besides in caves or hollow trees.
There are many drawbacks in cave life. Unlike other swiftlets the White bellied Swiftlet lacks navigational system by echolocation which is a very useful tool inside the pitch dark caves. So they live at the entrance of the caves and there is a constant threat from birds of prey in those areas. However, swiftlets also face other hazards; for example, the egg may be attacked by a cave-cricket or the nests eaten by a moth.
These birds have up to three breeding seasons a year and this makes them abundant in Andaman Islands. I have seen a colony inside a warehouse in Mayabunder, which has at least fifteen thousand birds (2000 sq.feet x 8 to 10 bird/sq.feet) where the owners as well as the workers have learnt a peaceful coexistence. Hope that there are many more like this through out The Andaman islands.
cheers,
Dr.Supriyo Samanta
--You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
Groups "Bird Photography India" group.
To post to this group, send email to birdphotoindia@googlegroups.com
No comments:
Post a Comment