Berhampur: Migratory birds, which usually reach the Chilika Lake and other parts of Odisha ahead of monsoon, are yet to be sighted this year, ornithologists said. The south-west monsoon has already advanced in the state. The pied-crested cuckoo (also called Jacobin Cuckoo), a migratory bird locally known as the "Pika" generally arrive before the onset of the monsoon in the state, said noted ornithologist Uday Narayan Dev. "I have tracked the arrival of the monsoon with the sight of the pied crested cuckoo for the last some years in the state and also confirmed the arrival of bird was just ahead of the onset of the monsoon", he said.
But the particular bird is missing this year, even though the monsoon has already arrived in the state, Dev said. The black and white bird travels thousands of kms from Africa to reach the country during May-June, ahead of south-west monsoon and returns to its home usually after January. "We can't say the exact reason of the monsoon bird missing. It needs deep study,” said Dev, author of several books on bird watching and Chilika birds.
