A group of bird watchers and researchers undertaking the annual water fowl census in Tumariya Wetlands near the Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand reported sighting a solitary Bean Goose among a flock of other bird species.
"A lone Bean Goose was sighted by a five member team comprising Zaara Kidwai, Idrish Hussain, Ashok and Satya Pal on December 1, 2011, among a flock of species like the Bar-headed Gooze and Ruddy Shelduck, which are common migrants to the Corbett landscape.
This find was later confirmed by consulting several members of the goose specialist group of Wetlands International and IUCN-Species Survival Commission," Anushree Bhattacharjee, who headed the research team told PTI.
The Bean Goose, known by the scientific name Anser Fabalis, is a large to medium-sized bird that breeds throughout northern regions of Europe and Asia. These geese belong to the Anatidae family. They come in two varieties- the Tundra Bean Goose and the Taiga Bean Goose.
"The one sighted in Tumariya was confirmed as Tundra Bean Goose by experts. They travel south during winter months in the Artic to temperate and sub-tropical regions. The range of these species usually extends south only as far till China", says Anushree. MORE
