About Smew:
- It is a medium-sized duck belonging to the family Anatidae.
- It was formally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus.
- Scientific Name: Mergellus albellus
- Habitat and Distribution:
- The smew species breed in the northern taiga of Europe and Asia.
- They winter in sheltered coasts or inland lakes of the Baltic Sea, the Black Sea, Great Britain, Caspian Sea, East China, Korea and Japan.
- The smew is an occasional visitor to the Indian Subcontinent.
- The smew species inhabit freshwater lakes, reservoirs, flooded woods, ice-free rivers, sheltered bays, estuaries, lagoons and tidal creeks.
- Conservation Status:
- IUCN Red List: Least Concern
Key Facts about Laokhowa Wildlife Sanctuary:
- It is located on the southern part of the Brahmaputra River in the Nagaon District of Assam.
- It forms an integral part of the Laokhowa-Burachapori ecosystem and is a notified buffer of the Kazairanga Tiger Reserve.
- It is a part of the Brahmaputra valley.
- The sanctuary is surrounded by human-dominated areas on all sides except for the north.
- Flora: The vegetation composition of Laokhowa can be broadly categorized into alluvial grassland, alluvial forest, moist deciduous forest, and tropical semi-evergreen
- Fauna:
- The sanctuary is home to the great Indian-one horned rhinoceros, elephants, royal Bengal tigers, Asiatic water buffaloes and many species of birds.
- Some of the birds spotted here are the spot-billed pelican, little and large cormorant, egret, open-billed stork, brahminy kite, pond heron, etc.
