Bhubaneswar, Jan 10 (IANS): Over 7.61 lakh migratory birds have thronged Odisha's Chilika Lake this winter, according to the annual bird census.
The figure is higher than last year.
About 7.19 lakh resident and migratory birds arrived at the 1,100 sq km brackish water lake in 2013, according to the census carried out Friday.
The number had decreased in 2013 due to cyclone Phailin, which hit the coastal Odisha, devastating many areas of the state.
The census revealed that at least 172 bird species were sighted during the enumeration while it was 158 species last year, said Divisional Forest Officer Bikash Ranjan Dash.
Eurasian Wigeon and Northern Pintail were among the famous species in Chilika. The population of Eurasian Wigeons was over 1.78 lakh, while Pintails were 1.28 lakh, said Dash.