Chinese snipe seeks warmth in Kerala swamp

The swamps near Pazhayangadi here had a surprise visitor the other day. The Chinese snipe, a rare migratory bird from Mongolia and other East Asian countries, had come on a wintry flight looking for warmth.

The local birdwatchers were excited at the sight as the bird was last located here in the early part of the 20th century by Phythian-Adams, a British soldier stationed here.

P.C. Rajeevan, Jayan Thomas and Khaleel Chovva were the lucky three who sighted the bird and snapped it. Records show that Phythian-Adams had shot dead 15 Chinese snipes during 1925 and 1935 to identify them.

The hillocks and marshlands in the district are hotspots for migratory birds. Mr. Rajeevan, an environmental activist, Dr. Thomas, an ophthalmologist here, and Dr. Chovva, an academic, sent the photographs to other birders to get the identity of the bird confirmed.

Dr. Thomas said the Chinese snipe ( Gallinago megala ) was a medium-sized, skulking, wading bird with short legs and long straight bill and a cryptic plumage. It was the plumage that enabled the snipe to remain undetected by birdwatchers and hunters in the marshlands. Hunters had difficulty taking aim because of the bird’s erratic flight pattern.

The word sniper is said to have originated among soldiers in British India where a hunter skilled enough to kill the elusive snipe was dubbed a sniper. The bird feeds on insect larvae, earthworms, spiders, beetles and small crustaceans, the birdwatchers said. The Chinese snipe comes to India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives during winter.

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