Surat: Diamond City Becomes Home to Flamingoes; 2000 Wading Birds Flock to Tapi River

Surat (Gujarat): Diamond city of India, Surat, located beside the Tapi River in the western state of Gujarat has become home to huge number of Flamingoes this year. These social birds who live in colonies and whose population can number in the thousands flocked to the banks of the Tapi River, surprising everyone in the state and country. 

As many as 2,000 flamingoes lined up on the Tapi River this year compared to very few of these birds who used to make their way to Gujarat, till last year. The reason behind the scarcity of these birds till 2023, in Surat, was because most of them got diverted to other places. 

It is important to note that flamingoes, also known as the Surkhab, is the state bird of Gujarat. In the ongoing summer, flamingoes are being witnessed at the confluence of Tapi River and the Arabian Sea in huge numbers. As per reports, their number is increasing every year. 

Flamingos seen in Surat are one of the four species found in America. The specialty of this bird is that it stands on one leg and keeps the other leg bent. The pink flamingos on the banks of Surat's Suryaputri Tapi river appear as if they are literally performing the 'Surya Namaskar'.

Bird Expert, Darshan Desai, who has been frequenting Surat for the last five years said that flamingoes are being reproduced in impressive quantities in Surat. "Currently around 1500 to 2000 flamingoes are seen in the Tapi and riverine areas. Flamingo is a bird that usually lives where water is scarce or found in a salty and brackish state. They thrive on algae and find best comfort in shallow water," he added.

During Makarsankranti (Hindu festival celebrated on the day the Sun enters Capricorn in the month of Pausha ), three to four flamingos were injured, out of which two-three were saved, said Desai. 

"Two of them died in pain. If flamingoes are the state birds, then they should be given special care. It is a matter of great pride to have such a large number of Surkhabas arriving on the banks of river Tapi. There is no other district which has welcomed such a large number of these birds," Desai added.