Juvenile Black-winged Kite rescued near Ooty

OOTY: A Black-winged Kite, spotted in Fern Hill area on the outskirts of town, was rescued by the Nilgiris Wildlife and Environment Association (NWLEA) and forest officials and released to a forest in the Nilgiris North Forest Division. A Bheeman, a wildife photographer, told Express, “A single Black-winged Kite was found hopping in Fern Hill area on Monday. Being a juvenile, it could not fly fast and crows had surrounded it and pecked it. As a result, the kite was injured and was hopping in the area.” Bheeman, a native of Ketti firka, added, “These are mid-sized raptors. Once the Nilgiris was a paradise for birds with vast grasslands and thick forests. Indiscriminate conversion of grasslands and private forests into tea estates and housing and commercial sites has threatened these birds.” The Public Awareness Association, which conducts awareness programmes on conservation of birds in the hill station, and Green Environment Organisation added that mobile phone towers were another problem.

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