Ornithologists are surprised that the birds, identified as Masked Booby, which are never seen in this part of the world, were spotted in the city four times in a short span of time.
Mumbai’s coastal area received three unexpected winged visitors from Australia and Indonesia this month. Ornithologists are surprised that the birds, identified as Masked Booby, which are never seen in this part of the world, were spotted in the city four times in a short span of time.
It all started on August 2, when Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) member, Harshal Jain rescued a young bird from Marine Drive and took it to the veterinary hospital run by the Bombay Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BSPCA) for treatment.
“The Masked Booby is a huge sea bird which is spotted very rarely inland. They usually breed in the Caribbean, across the Pacific Ocean, to Hawaii, Australia and Indonesia. The birds are very long and grow up to 29 to 34 inches in length, ideal for high flying,” said Raju Kasambe, programme officer, Important Bird Areas, BNHS.
Dr. Shivaji Talekar, hospital registrar, Bombay Veterinary Hospital treated the bird for over two days at the BSPCA hospital.
“The bird was very frightened as it had got isolated from its group. These birds move in groups and get stressed if they are stuck somewhere alone. I treated the bird with a few doses of Vitamin B complex and plenty of rest. The bird was very young, probably a few months old,” said Talekar. On Friday, the bird was released from the same area it was rescued.
Another Masked Booby was spotted by Pankaj Jadhav, a resident near Juhu Beach on June 20. “In that instance, the bird was not injured but it could not fly and was mobbed by crows. Jadhav took the bird to BSPCA hospital for treatment. But it died after few days,” said Kasambe. A third bird of the same species was found off the coastal village in Sindhudurg district.
According to Kasambe, this rare bird could have been blown towards the shoreline by the strong gusty winds. “We do not know how and why they are here. We are still looking at the reasons for this unusual occurrence. It could also be that the gusty south west monsoon winds blew them off their paths,” he said.
These seabirds feed primarily on fish and squid, especially flying fish. They are known to plunge-dive from heights of up to 100 feet and swallow their prey after surfacing.
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