Mute Swan spotted near Kolkata; first sighting in West Bengal – Hindustan Times

Kolkata News

For the first time a Mute Swan, a large swan with an elegant white plumage and an orange bill, was spotted in a water body at Baruipur near Kolkata on Monday.

Birdwatchers and wildlife experts are, however, not sure whether it is a wild bird that has migrated to India or an escapee from a zoo or an aviary.

“As it was a weekday, there were hardly any birdwatchers with lens around. I just happened to go there and was walking down a muddy trail when I spotted the huge bird with a white plumage, sitting near a water body,” said Kapil Bag, the photographer who spotted it on Monday morning.

The locality, dotted with grasslands, marshes and water bodies, is popular among birdwatchers in Kolkata and its outskirts. In 2021, at least 130 species of birds were spotted in that area. This year already more than 100 species have been spotted.

“It is a winter visitor. This is for the first time that a Mute Swan has been spotted in West Bengal. Earlier they have been spotted in a few other states such as Gujarat and Assam. But sightings are very rare in India,” said Shubhankar Patra, veteran birdwatcher and founder of SundayWatch, a social media group for nature study.

Mutes are found from Western Europe to central Asia – Russia, China and Mongolia. Introduced populations occur in the United States. Small populations also occur in South Western Australia and across New Zealand. They are popular as privately kept waterfowl in park lakes, as well as water areas in zoos or bird collections.

“Earlier in January this year a Mute Swan was spotted at Jamnagar in Gujarat. There is a possibility that this is the same bird. It requires further confirmation. It is very far from its winter range and often leads to the view that this is an escapee from a zoo or an aviary. There are similar records of escapee birds in the sun-tropical regions,” said Suresh Kumar, a wildlife biologist from Wildlife Institute of India, who specialises in migration and movement studies

Soon after spotting the bird, Bag alerted the forest guards patrolling the area so that no one could harm the bird or go near it. He also informed other photographers.

Mute Swans form long-lasting pair bonds. Despite their name, Mute Swans are not silent.

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Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/kolkata-news/mute-swan-spotted-near-kolkata-first-sighting-in-west-bengal-101644864281471.html