Aarif K M, Nefla Aymen, Athira T R, Prasadan P K, Muzaffar Sabir Bin
Terrestrial Ecology, Centre for Environment and Marine Studies, King Fahad University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia.
Department of Biology, University of Sciences of Tunis, El Manar II, 2092 Tunis, Tunisia.
Saudi J Biol Sci. 2021 Nov;28(11):6030-6039. doi: 10.1016/j.sjbs.2021.07.080. Epub 2021 Jul 30.
The long distant, transcontinental migration of shorebirds entails many well identified costs in terms of time, energy, and direct mortality risk. Injuries from debris or from human structures and activities were observed as the major reasons for the direct mortality of shorebirds during migration worldwide. We recorded injured birds in major coastal wetlands of Kerala, for a period of 15 years from 2005 to 2019. The injured birds were observed in 9 different sites in various districts of Kerala. The highest instances of injuries were observed in Kadalundi-Vallikunnu Community Reserve, the major wintering and stop over site of migrant shorebirds in the west coast of India. During the study period, fifty-eight individuals of shorebirds belonging to four families were found to be injured. The highest proportion of injuries was recorded among the families Scolopacidae and Charadriidae comprising long distance migrant shorebird species and the lowest among Laridae and Ardeidae. We recommend that environmental authorities pay special attention to minimize anthropogenic debris along the flyways used by migratory birds thereby reducing the risk of injuries to some of these species. Proactive measures such as removal of discarded fishing gear or plastic debris from wintering areas as well as stopover areas could greatly reduce injuries in migratory birds arising from anthropogenic sources.
滨鸟的长途、跨大陆迁徙在时间、能量和直接死亡风险方面带来了许多已明确的代价。在全球范围内，迁徙期间滨鸟直接死亡的主要原因是被碎片或人类建筑及活动所伤。我们在2005年至2019年的15年间记录了喀拉拉邦主要沿海湿地中受伤的鸟类。在喀拉拉邦各地区的9个不同地点观察到了受伤的鸟类。受伤情况最严重的是卡达伦迪 - 瓦利昆努社区保护区，它是印度西海岸候鸟的主要越冬和中途停留地。在研究期间，发现属于四个科的58只滨鸟受伤。受伤比例最高的是鹬科和鸻科，它们包含长途迁徙的滨鸟物种，而鸥科和鹭科的受伤比例最低。我们建议环境管理部门特别关注尽量减少候鸟飞行路线沿线的人为碎片，从而降低这些物种中部分个体受伤的风险。诸如从越冬区和中途停留区清除废弃渔具或塑料碎片等积极措施，可大幅减少人为源对候鸟造成的伤害。
