About Pallas fish eagle:
- It is also known as Pallas's sea eagle or band-tailed fish eagle, is a large, brownish sea eagle.
- It can be seen near lakes, marshes and large rivers, from lowlands to 5,000 metres of elevation.
- It feeds primarily on fish, but many other prey are part of its diet.
- It breeds usually near water in a large nest placed in a tall tree.
- Distribution: It is found in east Palearctic in Kazakhstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Mongolia, China, India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar.
- It is partially migratory.
- Conservation status
- IUCN Red List: Endangered
- Threats: Humans contribute to the decline of this species through habitat degradation, pollution, and draining or overfishing lakes.
Key facts about the Chilika lake:
- It is a brackish water lake and a shallow lagoon with estuarine character spread across the districts of Puri, Khurda and Ganjam in the state of Odisha.
- It is connected to the Bay of Bengal by a wide channel that mostly runs parallel to the Bay separated by a narrow spit.
- It is located at the mouth of the Daya River, flowing into the Bay of Bengal.
- It can be broadly divided into four ecological sectors based on salinity and depth, namely the southern zone, the central zone, the northern zone and the outer channel.
- It is the largest wintering ground for migratory waterfowl found anywhere on the Indian sub-continent.
- The Nalaban Island within the lake is notified as a Bird Sanctuary under Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
- In 1981, Chilika Lake was designated the first Indian wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention.
