Ringed shorebirds sighted on Keralam coast offer clues to migration routes

Kochi: With the winter migratory bird season underway, two marked shorebirds recorded along the Keralam coast earlier this month have offered valuable clues to migration routes, stop-over sites and links between breeding and wintering grounds.

A Eurasian whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) ringed at the Kadalundi-Vallikkunnu Community Reserve more than six years ago has been resighted on Elathur beach, about 20 km from the reserve in Kozhikode.

In another sighting, a Tibetan sand-plover (Anarhynchus atrifrons) spotted on Chavakkad beach was found to have been banded in Mumbai in 2025.

The resightings highlight the importance of Kerala’s coastline as a wintering habitat and the role of long-term bird ringing and monitoring in tracking individual bird movements and understanding migratory patterns.