Every year, millions of birds paint the skies with their unique colors on amazing journeys that span continents. Some travel from the frozen tundra of Siberia to the warm wetlands of India. While many birds spend summers in colder regions, extreme frozen winters become unbearable, prompting them to migrate to warmer parts of the world. Here are six beautiful and unique birds that migrate to India.
Greater Flamingos
The Greater Flamingo is the largest flamingo species and gets its stunning pink color from its diet, which includes shrimp, plankton, and algae. These monogamous birds choose one partner per breeding season and lay only one egg. The Rann of Kutch in India serves as one of their most important breeding grounds in South Asia. In winter, thousands gather at places like Sambhar Lake in Rajasthan and Sewri mudflats in Mumbai.
Northern Shoveler
The Northern Shoveler is a migratory duck known for its broad, spoon-shaped bill, which it uses to filter food from water. Odisha's Chilika Lake is Asia's largest wintering ground for migratory waterbirds. Every winter, over a million birds flock to the lagoon from as far as the Caspian Sea, Siberia, Kazakhstan, and the remote Arctic regions. The lake provides a rich habitat with wetlands and abundant aquatic food, making it an important breeding and migratory ground for beautiful birds in India every year.
Spotted Redshank
The Spotted Redshank changes its appearance according to the season. During breeding, it turns almost completely black with white spots on its wings, while winter brings pale gray feathers. These birds breed in subarctic marshes of northern Europe and Asia's taiga and tundra regions. They are often spotted in the National Capital Region in places like the Dhanauri Wetlands, Dadri, and Okhla Bird Park, as well as Nal Sarovar in Gujarat.
Bluethroat
The Bluethroat is a beautiful species with a bright blue bib highlighted by two stripes, one rust-colored and the other black. Male Bluethroats have even more extravagant feather cover than females. These birds breed in northern Eurasia and migrate to shrublands in Maharashtra, such as Thane and Navi Mumbai, and wetlands in Madhya Pradesh.
Asian Koel
The Asian Koel is a large member of the cuckoo family and a brood parasite that lays its eggs in crows' nests, where the hosts raise its young. The male is glossy bluish-black with a pale greenish-gray bill, crimson eyes, and gray legs, while the female is brownish. They are partial migrants from places like Nepal. The male Koel is heard repeating a loud "koo-Ooo" between March and August during the breeding season.
Siberian Crane
The Siberian Crane is the world's third rarest crane and is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. This large white bird has elegant, long legs and neck, with black wingtips and a red facial patch. Native to the Arctic Tundra of Russia, this bird has been historically known to migrate to the Keoladeo Ghana National Park in Bharatpur, Rajasthan, since the 1940s in winter.
