The Godavari estuary in Andhra Pradesh has become a prime and safe habitat for the Indian skimmer (Rynchops albicollis), Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) Deputy Director P. Sathiyaselvam has said.

The bird has been included in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red list of endangered species.

Mr. Sathiyaselvam is the coordinator of the Asian Waterbird Census-2023, which is under way in the Godavari estuary.

“The Godavari estuary has become a prime habitat for Indian skimmer. On January 10 (Tuesday), as many as 250 Indian Skimmers were sighted in the southern part of the Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary. In the Godavari estuary, one Indian Skimmer was sighted in 2013,” Mr. Sathiyaselvam told The Hindu.

Six tagged Indian Skimmers have been sighted during this census so far and five of them were tagged in the Mahanadi area and one in the Chambal area. Indian Skimmer migrates to the Godavari estuary for feeding, said Mr. Sathiyaselvam.

Great Knot and Caspian Terns have been sighted in good numbers during the census.

On Tuesday, at least 70 enumerators participated in the census being conducted by the Forest Department of Andhra Pradesh.