A tagged sanderling is spotted at a seashore at Narcondam Island in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
| Photo Credit: PTI
“A tagged shorebird that flew more than 7,400 km from South Australia has been spotted on the remote Narcondam Island in the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago,” an professional mentioned on Tuesday (April 7, 2026).
“The bird, a Sanderling, was photographed by G. Thikanna, an assistant sub-inspector with the Andaman Police, during a posting on the island,” Mumbai-based ornithologist Dr. Raju Kasambe mentioned.
“Mr. Thikanna photographed the bird on Narcondam Island in June 2025, and it was later identified as having travelled 7,472 km from its tagging site in Australia,” mentioned Dr. Kasambe, the previous assistant director of the Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai.
He mentioned the sighting not solely highlights the extraordinary journey of migratory birds alongside the East Asian-Australasian Flyway but additionally marks the primary recorded re-sighting of a tagged chicken on Narcondam.
“The bird was tagged on April 13, 2025, by Maureen Christie at Brown Bay, South Australia. It reached Narcondam Island two months and three days later on its return journey to its breeding grounds in the northern parts of Asia,” mentioned Dr. Kasambe, who visited South Andaman final month.
Mr. Thikanna, a member of the Andaman Avians Club, spotted the chicken throughout a routine shoreline inspection. “The small wader, which weighs between 40 and 100 gm, bore a red flag with the code ‘DYM’ and a yellow tag,” he mentioned.
Narcondam Island, positioned 140 nautical miles from Port Blair, is a largely inaccessible space recognized for its distinctive biodiversity, together with the endemic Narcondam Hornbill.
The discovery highlights the significance of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF), a migratory waterbird route that spans 37 international locations from the Arctic by way of Asia to Australia and New Zealand.
Published – April 07, 2026 12:59 pm IST
