WORLD PARROT DAY
It is our collective duty to maintain such a natural habitat of parrots.
Kulbhushan Kanwar
World Parrot Day is being celebrated throughout the world on 31st May every year since 31st May 2004 started by World Parrot Trust with the aim to highlight the threats to captive and wild Parrots around the world.
Following verities of parakeets and parrots are found in India:-
- Rose-ringed Parakeet
- Alexandrine Parakeet
- Blue-winged Parakeet
- Plum-headed Parakeet
- Slaty-headed Parakeet
- Grey-headed Parakeet
- Lord Derby’s Parakeet
- Nicobar Parakeet
- Blossom-headed Parakeet.
10.Vernal Hanging Parrot.
I remember my childhood days living in sector-22 popularly known as Bajwara and lots of trucks lined up there on the Ropar-Ambala road which crossed through sector-21 having lots of Mango trees later on popularly known as “Perrot Sanctuary” I have seen flying green parrots in lacs. Whenever we used to go there in the evening or in the morning we have to talk loudly in that area to listen to our voice because there had been a big noise of parrots. Thousands of parrots fly towards west and come back in the evening like thousand of Locusts attacking and evacuating sector-21 in the evening and leaving in the morning. Sector-21 grew with the passage of time now it is not like those days it is now thickly populated with concrete growth. It was a natural Parrot Sanctuary but later in 1975 S.K.Sharma secretary Environment Society of Chandigarh took up the issue as Dream Project and it was established and later on notified on 1998 on WLS and named as Perrot Garden.
The is a patch of left out area of 2.9 hectares which is under Forest and Wildlife department having adequate green cover. It squeezed further and now out of 2.9 hectares 1.80 hectares area is open to the citizens for walk under Chapter IV of the Wildlife Act (1972) and rest of 1.10 hectares area is restricted as per Act with the changed name as Bird Sanctuary in 1998. A team of Wildlife Institution of India visited the Garden 3 years back and given 50% marks out of 100% to this Garden according to norms and also recommended certain measures to obtain 100%.
Four types of Parakeets can be seen in and around Chandigarh. The most common are Rose Ringed Parakeets (Psittacula kramer, तोता, ਤੋਤਾ) found all over screeching and screaming, raiding fruit trees and nesting in holes dug in the stems of trees. They are resident breeders in the city and their nests can be seen very easily in the Parrot Sanctuary in Sector 21, Chandigarh, where a large number of these still nest.
Matinder Sekhon, President Chandigarh Bird Club said” The second variety are the large Alexandrine Parakeets ( Psittacula euptria, रायतोता, ਰਾਅਤੋਤਾ). These are large, long tailed parakeets with males having black mustaches and both sexes having a pink patch on their shoulders. They are not very common but can be seen in and around the city. There is a large colony nesting in the walls of Pinjore Gardens. They have a very rich, loud and gruff call. The their type are Plum Headed Parakeets (Psittacula cyanocephala, तूईयीतोता, ਲਾਲਸਿਰਤੋਤਾ). These are green in color with a plum colored head of males and grey head in females. The tips of their tails are white and beaks are yellow. They can be seen in large flocks during winters when they move into foot hill plains due to cold.
The fourth type of parakeets seen in Chandigarh region are also seen during winters and are the Slaty Headed Parakeets (Psittacula himalayana, पाहाड़ीतोता, ਪਹਾੜੀਤੋਤਾ). They are also green but the head is slaty grey in both males and females. The males have a black ring around their necks and it is absent in females. They have orange beaks and the tips of the tail are blue with yellow ends. Both Plum-headed and Slaty-headed can be seen the year round in hills around Chandigarh, be it Chakki Mor, Morni, Kasauli etc.”
Rahul Mahajan Founder, Organic Sharing and known horticulturist said there is need for plantation of fruit trees in 1.80 hectares area is open to the citizens for walk and promised to give free trees to be planted in that area.
It is our collective duty to maintain such natural habitat of parrots.
-
-
Kulbhushan Kanwar,
kulbhushankanwar@gmail.com
Disclaimer : The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the writer/author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of Babushahi.com or Tirchhi Nazar Media. Babushahi.com or Tirchhi Nazar Media does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.