10 migratory birds that make winter stop in Goa

Franky Gracias

1. FOREST WAGTAIL  

This is a forest species, a distinction from all other wagtails. Its breeding areas are in eastern Asia, parts of Korea, parts of China (Gansu, Anhui, Hunan) and parts of Siberia.

Goa|Migratory birds|Feathered friends | Photo: Parag Rangnekar

2. LITTLE STINT

The little stint (Calidris minuta or Erolia minuta) is a very small wader. It breeds in arctic Europe and Asia, and is a long-distance migrant, wintering south to Africa and south Asia. 

Goa|Migratory birds|Feathered friends|Birdwatching | Photo: Parag Rangnekar

3. BROWN-BREASTED FLYCATCHER

This species breeds in north eastern India, central and Southern China and northern Burma and Thailand, and migrates to southern India and Sri Lanka.

Goa|Migratory birds|Feathered friends|Bird world | Photo: Parag Rangnekar

4. BROAD-BILLED SANDPIPER

The broad-billed sandpiper is strongly migratory, spending the non-breeding season from easternmost Africa, through south and south-east Asia to Australasia.

Goa|Migratory birds|Feathered friends|Winter birds | Photo: Parag Rangnekar

5. ASIAN BROWN FLYCATCHER

This is an insectivorous species which breeds in Japan, eastern Siberia and the Himalayas. It is migratory and winters in tropical southern Asia from southern India and Sri Lanka east to Indonesia.

Goa|Migratory birds|Feathered friends|Skybound | Photo: Parag Rangnekar

6. NORTHERN PINTAIL

The pintail or northern pintail (Anas acuta) is a duck species with wide geographic distribution that breeds in the northern areas of Europe and across the Palearctic and North America. It is migratory and winters south of its breeding range to the equator.

Goa|Migratory birds|Feathered friends|Birdlife | Photo: Parag Rangnekar

7. SLENDER-BILLED GULL

The slender-billed gull (Chroicocephalus genei) is a mid-sized gull which breeds very locally around the Mediterranean and the north of the western Indian Ocean on islands and coastal lagoons.

Goa|Migratory birds|Feathered friends|Bird habitats | Photo: Parag Rangnekar

8. PIED AVOCET

This migratory bird breeds in temperate Europe and across the Palearctic to Central Asia then on to the Russian Far East.

Goa|Migratory birds|Feathered friends|World of birds | Photo: Parag Rangnekar

9. GREATER CRESTED TERN

This is a migratory bord found along the coasts of Africa to Arabian Peninsula, Indian Ocean, southern China, southern Japan, Southeast Asia and Australasia.

Goa|Migratory birds|Feathered friends|Winged wonder | Photo: Parag Rangnekar

10. RUDDY TURNSTONE

It is a highly migratory bird, breeding in northern parts of Eurasia and North America and flying south to winter on coastlines almost worldwide.

Goa|Migratory birds|Feathered friends|Soar high | Photo: Parag Rangnekar

NEXT: Centuries-old churches of South Goa you’ll want to explore