Source: TOI

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Context :

• Recently , Birders recorded a rare slender billed gull at Pallikaranai Marshland in Chennai

About Slender Billed Gull

• Scientific Name: Chroicocephalus genei
• Type: Medium-sized seabird species.

Distribution

• Breeding Habitat: it is found locally around the Mediterranean & the northern part of the western Indian Ocean (Pakistan). It breeds on islands & coastal lagoons.
• Migratory Pattern:
  • • Most of the population is migratory. It comes in northern Africa & India in winter
    • Some birds have been recorded in western Europe.
• Presence in India: it is considered a regular species along the western coast. And there are also several records from northern India’s wetlands.

Features

• Size:
  • • Length: 37 to 40 cm
    • Wingspan: 90 to 102 cm
• Physical Appearance:
  • • Pale grey body with a white head & breast.
    • Black tipped primary wing feathers.
    • Elongated, tapering head & dark red bill.
    • Long necked appearance.
    • Dark red legs & yellow iris.
• Feeding: They consume Primarily fish & fly just above the water’s surface & dives for prey.

Conservation Status

• IUCN Red List: Listed as Least Concern

About Pallikaranai Marshland

• Location: 20 km south of Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
• Wetland Type: it is a freshwater marsh, partly saline.
• Ecological Role: It acts as an aquatic buffer, protecting flood prone Chennai & Chengalpattu districts.
• Hydrology: it includes 65 wetlands & drains into the Bay of Bengal through 2 outlets (Okkiyam Madavu & Kovalam Creek).
• Geography: Parts of the marsh are below mean sea level. It is qualifying as low-lying basins.
• Conservation: It is designated as one of India’s Ramsar Sites.

Source: TOI