Bar-headed Goose: A migratory bird that crosses the Himalayas

Context: First time, the Bar-headed goose (Anser Indicus) has been spotted in the wetlands of Karingali Puncha, near Pandalam in Pathanamthitta, Kerala.

Relevance:
Prelims: General issues on Environmental Ecology, Bio-diversity, and Climate Change.
Mains: GS III-

• Science and technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life.
• Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.

Bar-headed goose:

IUCN conservation status: Least Concern.

• The Bar-headed geese (Anser Indicus) are found in central China and Mongolia and they breed there.
• They start migration to the Indian sub-continent during the winter and stay here till the end of the season.
• They return to their homes by crossing the Himalayan ranges.
• Their migration has been a fascination for birders as they cross the Himalayas on one of the most high-altitude migrations in the world.

Why in the news?

• The first time, the Bar-headed goose (Anser Indicus) has been spotted in the wetlands of Karingali Puncha, near Pandalam in Pathanamthitta, Kerala.
• The six-member team which noticed the bird included Robin C. Koshy, Jiji Sam, Libin Abraham, Steven, Aben, and Sabu.
• The Punch is a major birding spot in the district which reported the highest bird count in the Asian Waterfowl Census of 2015. The bar-headed goose was the 336th bird species found in the district.

About Bar-headed goose:

• Bar-headed geese breed in central China and Mongolia and they start migration to the Indian sub-continent during the winter.
• They are one of the birds which can fly even at very high altitude. They come to India and return to their homes by crossing the Himalayan ranges.
• Bar-headed goose is known to fly high.
• They cross the Himalayas on one of the most high-altitude migrations in the world.
• Their ability to sustain the high oxygen demands of flight in air that is exceedingly oxygen-thin is exceptional.
• The goose’s high-altitude flights have been a biological mystery for decades. A mountain climber spotted a bar-headed goose overhead while summiting Mount Everest back in 1953. They boast an enhanced ability to bind oxygen to their hemoglobin.
• According to a study by Graham R. Scott and others found that heart rates and metabolic costs of flight increase with elevation and can be near maximal during steep climbs. 

Central Asian Flyway:

• The Central Asian Flyway (CAF), Central Asian-Indian Flyway, or Central Asian-South Asian Flyway is a flyway covering a large continental area of Eurasia between the Arctic Ocean and the Indian Ocean and the associated island chains.
• The CAF comprises several important migration routes of waterbirds, most of which extend from the northernmost breeding grounds in Siberia to the southernmost non-breeding wintering grounds in West Asia, India, the Maldives, and British Indian Ocean Territory.