Thousands of Little Pratincoles spotted in Mohana River

By Abinash Chaudhary

Dhangadhi, Oct. 19: Thousands of Little Pratincole, called paani gauthali in Nepali, have been seen along the Mohana River in the Kailali district.A flock of Little Pratincole that has already settled in the river bed has been seen in the areas of ​​ Kailari Rural Municipality-3 and 4. 

Kul Raj Chowdhary, a wildlife photographer of Hasulia, informed that the birds, which are in large numbers, appeared in three groups."There are a large number of Little Pratincoles in three flocks," he said. "Those birds are sometimes going to the river bank of Ward No. 3 and sometimes in Ward No. 4." Their suitable habitat has become Nimuwabojhi of Ward No. 3 and Mohana River near Bhitaria of Ward No. 4. 

Last year, 3,564 Little Pratincoles were seen in the same place. Similarly, two years ago, 10,553 birds were recorded at the same place. No other place in Nepal has recorded such a large number of Little Pratincoles so far.

Before 1990, 2,000 Little Pratincoles were recorded in Meghauli of Chitwan. After that, 3,467 birds of this species were found in Chitwan again in 2012, according to Bird Conservation Nepal (BCN), an organization working in the field of birds.

Similarly, in 2015, more than 3,000 birds were seen in the Koshi River area. At the same time, Ram Shahi, a bird conservationist, recorded some 1,000 Little Pratincoles in Bardiya.

The bird was first recorded in Nepal in Kathmandu Valley in the 19th century. A man named Brian Hodgson recorded Little Pratincoles in Kathmandu.

Ornithologist Hirulal Dangoura said that the Little Pratincoles found in the Mohana River are the largest number found in Nepal so far. "The bird has not been recorded in such a large number in any place in Nepal so far," he said.

This bird species, which prefers to live in wetlands, is found in the Karnali River in Bardiya National Park. Similarly, it is said to have been found in Arun River of Nawalpur, Rapti and Narayani River of Chitwan National Park. Similarly, Little Pratincole is also found in Koshi River, Rapti of Dang.

In Nepal, the number of Little Pratincoles is believed to be between 3,000 and 5,000. One per cent of the bird are found on the bank of Narayani, Karnali and Koshi rivers, Dangaura said. "The number recorded in Kailali recently is more than ever recorded in Nepal before," he said.

It is said that the destruction of habitats, the removal of sand and gravel from the river area are adding to the challenge for their habitat. Similarly, due to poaching and human intervention during breeding, this bird species is facing the danger of extinction. The bird is mainly found in sandy and rocky rivers and lakes.

According to the BCN, Little Pratincole is approaching a crisis in Nepal. This bird is found in 20 countries including Nepal, India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Malaysia, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates and Vietnam.