From Tibet to Siberia, over 20k migratory birds fly in for winter halt at Pong

Context

• Around 20,000 waterfowl from places such as Central Asia, Tibet, Russia, Siberia, and Mongolia have reached the Pong wetland, an international Ramsar site.

Key highlights

• With the onset of winter, migratory birds have started coming to the subcontinent.
• Some of the dominant species, which have arrived at the lake, include the bar-headed geese, northern pintails, common coots, and the great cormorants.
• India receives birds from 29 countries during migration.

Why the birds visit the continent?

• A varied habitat, food availability, and the intervention and protection offered by the state wildlife wing.
• It offers a transitory resting reserve for migratory birds coming to the subcontinent in winters.
• It is the annual dispersal of birds from the northern hemisphere to the Indian subcontinent 

Pong Wetland

• Pong wetland is situated in the Kangra District of Himachal Pradesh.
• It is one of the largest man-made wetlands of Northern India.
• It was formed by the construction of Pong Dam which has been named MaharanaPratapSagar.
• This is the first wetland of the state to have got the global arm of protection and declared a “RAMSAR SITE” in the year 2002.
• Dhauladhar Mountains are feeders of water supply to Pong Lake