Forest Dept starts first-ever ‘bird ringing’

For the first time, the forest department has started bird ringing and strapping satellite transmitter to migratory birds to carry out a study on them.
The study will be conducted to determine if migratory birds spread avian influenza virus from one country to another. It will also be able to locate their migration routes.
Experts of US Geological Survey will follow the migration routes of these birds and provide information to the forest department officials.
A team of experts catch migratory birds by using mist net and wire funnel traps and attach this small satellite device to their backs and rings to their legs at Hakalooki Haor of Kulaura, Moulvibazar.
The expert team has so far strapped such devices to a ruddy shell duck, a garganey and a gadwall. Three kinds of ducks migrate to wetlands of Bangladesh during winter. They will also attach rings to other 30 species of birds.
This year the team will strap satellite transmitters to 20 species of migratory birds that travel through Siberia, China, Nepal and India.
The satellite device weighs only five grams each, which is only three percent of the birds’s weight.
The forest department yesterday in a statement says there were 620 species of birds could be found in Bangladesh just a few decades ago.
The number, however, came down to less than 477 species — 301 local and 176 species of migratory birds.
Eminent bird expert and founder of Bombay Natural History of Society Dr Saleem Ali first introduced bird ringing or banding to locate their migration routes and habits. The organisation conducts the research every year.
The migratory birds are believed to have been spreading the virus of avian influenza throughout the world for the last few years.
Forest department has also conducted several workshops and meetings where they decided to attach rings and satellite transmitter to birds to conduct a research on migratory birds.
The bird expert team is comprised of Dr Tapan Kumar Dey of the forest department, Inam- ul Haq and Dr Anawarul Islam of the Department of Zoology, Dhaka University (DU) while students of DU are helping them.
The Ministry of Environment and Forest has permitted the forest department to conduct the research on 500 migratory birds.

Courtesy of The Daily Star