How to save the birds who are always on the wings ?

Andaman and Nicobar Islands are endowed with rich biodiversity of fauna and flora. Andaman Padauk, magnificent Gurjan, ornamental marble wood and chooi add glamour to the forest. Narcondum hornbill, Nicobar megapode, crab eating macaque, robber crab and several other birds and reptiles lend life and glory to the habitat in which they live happily. Bay waters have five types of turtles including the giant leather back turtles including giant leather back turtles, the largest in the world. Forests and sky of this archipelago would be silent and lifeless without a unique bird who always remains on the wings and is fairly noisy. This bird is Swiftlet, locally called “Hawabill” in Andaman. The bird is much sought after due to its edible nests having some medicinal uses.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

1. Andaman and Nicobar Islands are endowed with rich biodiversity of fauna and flora. Andaman Padauk, magnificent Gurjan, ornamental marble wood and chooi add glamour to the forest. Narcondum hornbill, Nicobar megapode, crab eating macaque, robber crab and several other birds and reptiles lend life and glory to the habitat in which they live happily. Bay waters have five types of turtles including the giant leather back turtles including giant leather back turtles, the largest in the world. Forests and sky of this archipelago would be silent and lifeless without a unique bird who always remains on the wings and is fairly noisy. This bird is Swiftlet, locally called “Hawabill” in Andaman. The bird is much sought after due to its edible nests having some medicinal uses.
   
   These birds are always on the move, very active and agile, hence the name Swiftlet which they really deserve. Swiftlets are the most aerial of all birds, and their wings show considerable adaptation. The wings are large, narrow, long with little curvature. The specialized structure of the wings coupled with powerful breast muscles makes possible rapid, sustained, highly maneuverable flights. It is reported that the speed of swiftlets can go up to 150 km ph, over small flights. The bird has small legs and is unable to take to wings once it falls on the ground. No wonder, swiftlets are seldom seen on the ground or on roof tops. Swiftlts not only feeds on wings, but also collect nesting material while air borne. Birds show spectacular acrobatics in the air, rushing with swift flight, several rapid beats of the wings, then a glide, sometimes emitting curious squalling call to express fits of joy. Swiftlets sometimes spend entire night in flights and even have cat naps while flying.
2. Swiftlts are highly gregarious and are fond in flocks of fifty or more, which breed together in colonies and spend the day light hours in hawking insects and small beetles.
   
   Swiftlets nests are highly valued for their medicinal value, and aphrodisiac nest soup. This is also the tragedy for the birds and puts a question mark on their survival. Nest building by swiftlets is an interesting engineering feat. When the bird starts to build a nest, it flies to the place selected and spits saliva on the rock. It repeats this exercise 8-10 times, trying a semi circle or horse shoe shape in saliva. This dries up quickly and provides a strong formation for the nest. The saliva is like a strong solution of gum Arabic. A thread of it is drawn from the bird’s mouth and wound round the stick until all the saliva in the bird’s mouth and ducts in the salivary gland is extracted.
3. Making full use of their long narrow wings and short square tail, a bit forked, the swiftlets fly about incessantly, feeding on the insects while flying. The bird has peculiar structure of feet, all four toes are directed forward. They can not perch in ordinary way, but only cling on rough surface. They do not sit or squat. They even have romance and mate while air borne, generally during early morning or dusk hours. They nest during February to September and choose dark caves, ancient forts, ruined structures, deserted bridges etc. for nesting. Birds breed colonially making hundreds of nests in each colony. Eggs, oblong or cylindrical, white in colour, measure upto 1.8x1.5cm.
   
   Swiftlets are voracious enters to meet their high energy requirements for constant flight. Since insects on the wings can be caught only in fine warm weather, birds may travel long distances to avoid, a meteorological depression with its adverse stormy weather. When nestling chicks, still unable to fly, are threatened with starvation by inclement weather, their body temperature drops and they become torpid, temporarily hibernate. With their metabolism thus reduced, they fan survive up to 10 days without food.
   
   Swiftlets, the most aerial birds who charm the islanders by aerobatics and gliding skills are fighting for existence. Medicinal or aphrodisiac element in the saliva is their boon, nay “bane”. Hundreds of chicks and eggs are destroyed for edible nests. Like edible nest bird, several myths and concocted stories are woven around rhino’s horn, tiger’s penis soup., tiger balm, Himalayan bear’s lever etc. This is posing threat to existence of these magnificent denizens of the wild. Can we be more rational and say “no” to such wild life drugs on the name of fair play and justice ?

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• This article is on a bird "Swiftlet", who are always on the wings.
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