Maguri Motapung Beel (also known as Maguri Motapung Bill, Maguri Bill and Maguri Beel) is a wetland and lake located near Dibru-Saikhowa National Park and Motapung Village of Tinsukia district in Assam. Maguri Motapung Beel serves as a natural home to wildlife and provide a source of livelihood to the local communities. [1][2]
| Maguri Motapung Beel | |
|---|---|
| মাগুৰি মটাপুং বিল (Assamese) | |
 Maguri Motapung Beel in Tinsukia district of Assam | |
  Maguri Motapung Beel  Maguri Motapung Beel | |
| Location | Near to Dibru-Saikhowa National Park and Motapung Village, Tinsukia district, Assam, India |
| Coordinates | 27°34′36.2″N 95°23′42.9″E / 27.576722°N 95.395250°E |
| Surface area | 9.6 square kilometres (3.7 sq mi)[1] |
Etymology
editMaguri is the local term for walking catfish and Motapung is the name of the nearby village. Beel or Bill means lake in Assamese language. [1]
Geography
editMaguri Motapung Beel is approx. 9 km away from Tinsukia town and 50 km from Dibrugarh Airport. This lake is 3.8 km away from Guijan Ferry Ghat which is the gateway of the Dibru-Saikhowa National Park. Maguri Motapung Beel is located in the south bank of the Dibru River and it connects Dibru River through a small channel and finally meets Brahmaputra River. [3] [4]
Avifauna
edit
Maguri Motapung Beel is a natural habitat to many varieties of birds. The lake is an important habitat for over 110 resident and migratory bird species, including eight listed as threatened on the IUCN Red List, such as the Swamp grass babbler, the ferruginous duck, the white-winged wood duck and the falcated duck. [1]
A rare Mandarin duck was spotted in 2021 in the wetland Maguri Motapung Beel for the first time in 118 years.[5]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d "Near the Baghjan Blowout, Assam's Critical Wetland Habitat Is Burning". The Wire (India). Retrieved 7 November 2020.
- ^ "Maguri Motapung: an asset lost to flames". Wetlands International. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
- ^ "Maguri Beel". Tezpur University website. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
- ^ "Avians attract tourists to beel". The Telegraph. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
- ^ "Explained: Why a rare duck has created a flutter in Upper Assam". The Indian Express. Retrieved 16 February 2021.