Wintering birds flock to Moeyungyi Lake, Inlay Lake and Indawgyi Lake via 2 major flyways

The migratory winter birds from around the world take shelter at wildlife sanctuaries in Myanmar, that contribute to nature-based tourism and national ecosystem conservation, and the wintering birds annually arrive at Moeyungyi wetland, Inlay Lake and Indawgyi Lake Wildlife Sanctuaries via two major global flyways – the Central Asian Flyway and the East Asian-Australasian Flyway.

Moeyungyi Wildlife Sanctuary in Bago Region, Myanmar’s first Ramsar site, regularly receives migratory birds from both major flyways. Inlay Lake Wildlife Sanctuary receives wintering birds mainly from the Siberian region through the Central Asian Flyway, while Indawgyi Lake receives migratory birds annually from China and Russia.

The migratory birds fly to the regions with abundant food through the nine major flyways- the East Atlantic Flyway, the Black Sea-Mediterranean Flyway, the Mississippi-America Flyway, the Atlantic-America Flyway, the Pacific-America Flyway, the West Pacific Flyway, the East Asia-Australia Flyway, the Middle Asia Flyway, and the West Asia-East Africa Flyway. Among these nine flyways, the Central Asian Flyway is the shortest route. Birds migrate from Siberia to South and South-East Asia, crossing the skies of more than 30 countries and involving 307 bird species.
The East Asian-Australasian Flyway stretches from eastern Russia and Alaska through East and Southeast Asia to Australia and New Zealand. Each year, more than 50 million birds from 37 countries migrate along this route. A total of 492 bird species worldwide, including 28 threatened species, migrate annually to around 900 wetlands internationally, including lakes and wildlife sanctuaries in Myanmar, where they rest and feed.

There are 10,473 bird species worldwide. Myanmar is home to 1,136 species, Thailand 982, Malaysia 781, Singapore 375, Laos 710, Nepal 900, the Philippines 657, Vietnam 848, and Cambodia has 553 species. Due to its rich ecosystems, Myanmar recognized as one of the Southeast Asian countries has the greatest diversity of both water birds and land bird species.

The annual arrival of wintering birds at Myanmar’s Ramsar sites and wildlife sanctuaries reflects the good ecological conditions and rich biodiversity of these protected areas. These migrations also provide various benefits, including opportunities for research, natural control of invasive and crop-damaging pests, promotion of nature-based tourism, and increased employment opportunities for local communities.

Thitsa(MNA)/KTZH

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