Sanctuary | Photo Feature

If you have ever been to a beach, mudfl at or backwater,

you are bound to have noticed a diversity of birds in the

inter-tidal zones – that limited area where the waves come

and go at the behest of the rise and fall of the tide. And it is

hard to miss the feeding frenzy.

Here you will notice birds scouring the sand, mud and

water for food. But with so many of them feeding together,

it’s a wonder there is enough food for all! This specialised

habitat acts as a feeding ground, but happens to be a

tiny percentage of the entire landmass. Yet it manages to

accommodate so many species that live and feed next to

each other in near harmony.

Life on Earth has managed to scrape out a living in the

toughest ecological niches with help from very specialised

adaptations. If you look closely at shore birds through

binoculars, some answers will become apparent in the shape

of their beaks, the gait of their legs, the bent of their heads,

the style of their hunt and therefore the choice of their foods.

Key to their survival is not merely the size, but also the shape

of their beaks. Virtually no two species have identical beaks.

The closer you look, the more obvious the diff erences

become. And these diff erences determine the very diet of

shore birds of inter-tidal zones that prey on crabs, oysters,

mussels, worms, shrimps, snails, plankton and what not.

When Charles Darwin visited the Galapagos Islands, he

observed that fi nches had diff erent beak shapes and sizes and

that these varied shapes determined what they ate. On these

small islands, myriad species of fi nches, managed to avoid

competing over food by adapting to niches where competition

was minimal. This, in fact, is how ecological niches get fi lled.

Ornithologists explain that waders and shorebirds use

their unique beaks to fetch and handle specifi c foods. Some

dig in the sand and bring to mind the movement of a needle

on a sewing machine. Another shoots its beak out like a

javelin to catch its briefl y-surfaced prey. Such challenges and

adaptations are the stuff of evolution and they determine

behaviour, style and survival.

On the pages that follow, you will see a variety of waders

and shorebirds from Indian subcontinent, but if you truly want

to immerse yourself in the adventure... go to a beach, or a lake

or river shore with a bird guide and a decent pair of binoculars

or a spotting scope and let the adventure begin.

&

Short

of Beaks

Long

The

Curlew

Godwit

Whimbrel Plover

Stint

Turnstone

Oystercatcher

Dr. Sudhir Gaikwad

Illustration: Sara Mahdi