Mandya: GPS tagging to help know lives of pelicans better

MYSURU: Kokkare Bellur in Maddur taluk of Mandya district, on the banks of river Shimsha is famous for migratory spot-billed pelicans and other nesting species. The forest department is planning to implant solar-powered GPS-GSM patagial tags on two pelicans to understand their life better. The department has also started implanting wing tags for migratory birds which are hand-raised and rehabilitated.
According to the proposal, two spot-billed pelicans will be tagged with solar-powered GPS-GSM patagial tags to track their movement in this breeding season (October 2021).GSM tags will help officials get the birds’ coordinates at all times. It will reveal from where the pelicans come from, their non-breeding grounds, and their important foraging grounds.
“The initiative will help us understand the life of spot-billed pelicans in a better way. Details like why they come here, from where they come, their feeding pattern and habits can be understood,” said DCF (Mysuru circle) K C Prashanth Kumar.
“Tagging will help us resolve the mystery behind the migration of these birds. We get details of their migration habit, route, and other details. Initially, two birds will be tagged,” he said.
The officer said six birds, which have been rehabilitated, have been implanted with wing tags. “These wing tags are implanted in birds which were rehabilitated through hand-feeding,” he said.
Tanuja Rao, an avid birder, said the study is much-needed one. Authorities said in March 2021, four pelican chicks were patagial numbers tagged with codes K01, K02, K03 and K04. In April 2021, two painted stork chicks were ringed with alphanumeric codes.