Global warming alters bird migratory pattern to Sri Lanka: Dr. Jagath Gunawardana

By Leenah Wahab

The effect of climate change on migratory patterns is a further focal point to consider as an assumed 84% of birds listed on the CMS face threats due to global warming, according to environmentalist and lawyer Dr. Jagath Gunawardana.

He said migratory birds come in September and October, and sometimes in August; but climate change has caused seasons to begin earlier or later on different occasions.

“This year, we have an early start to the migration season, “he said.

Sri Lanka is home to 435 bird species, including 110 migratory species, accounting for 26% of total birds, according to the Conservation of Migratory Species of Sri Lanka. Over the years the number of vagrants-birds roaming outside of their typical breeding areas has increased, Dr. Gunawardana noted, with birds coming from Siberian areas, neighbouring India and Mongolian regions.

“Migratory species are indispensable in the maintenance of ecosystems. They add to the ecosystem by providing nutrients to the soil which is vital in the management and cultivation of crops, and maintain equilibrium and food cycles by feeding on small creatures,” he said.

Discussing the environmental threats facing migratory birds, Dr. Gunawardana said loss of habitat and pollution pose sizeable risks to bird populations. “In the context of Sri Lanka, two main threats prevail; first, habitat removal due to deforestation and clearing of wetlands used for nesting and foraging. Second, contamination of food with pollutants. Sri Lanka doesn’t have a tradition of hunting birds, only a few species of ducks, the degradation of habitat is most unsustainable and a leading enemy in the face of ornithology,” he said.

Sri Lanka is a signatory to the International Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) or the Bonn Convention, the 1st intergovernmental treaty pledging bird conservation and signed the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance, in which Section 31 criminalizes bird-related offences. However, he noted that Sri Lanka’s legislative protection of endemic birds is inadequate. “The government must first recognize critically endangered species and protect them. Next, categorise endangered, endemic species, and lastly, identify specific migrant species,” he said.

In 2020, the Glossy Ibis, a fairly rare winter visitor, was spotted nesting at the Bundala National Park in 148 years. “I began studying this bird ever since I first saw it in the 1970s,” Dr. Gunawardana told Daily Mirror. “In 1872, they were seen breeding in the Udupila tank at a lake in Tissamaharama, but were proclaimed extinct for the first half of the 20th century. In late 1973, they appeared intermittently, but now there are more birds coming to the wetland area such as Boralesgamuwa. There were also a small number of blue-tailed bee-eaters seen this August, who migrated due to bouts of bad weather and rainfall.”

Sri Lanka’s bird migration is a testament to nature’s tenacity and beauty. Safeguarding the island’s migratory pathways is essential in ensuring the continued vitality in our ecological tapestry.