Andaman Islands information: Until now, in our Discover the Andaman Islands series, we have talked about the geographical aspects of the Andaman Islands, the general climate and about the best time to visit Andaman Islands. Every place has its own uniqueness and peculiarities. In this post, we’ll discover the state bird, the state animal and state tree of the Andaman Islands.
1. Andaman Islands Information: The State Bird
Andaman Wood Pigeon – The State Bird
The Andaman Wood Pigeon is the State bird of Andaman Islands. It is found only in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
The pigeon being endemic to these islands lives in the dense evergreen forests. The bird colour is a mixture of darkish slate grey in the upper side and light blue grey underneath.
It resembles domestic pigeon in size but has a slightly longer tail. The head looks white and delicate with a patterned neck. The characteristic features are its reddish tinged bill with yellow tip and purplish red ring like coloured skin around the eyes with a metallic green sheen on the upper side. These characteristics help in the easy identification of the bird. Here’s more info on it.
Andaman Islands Information: The State Animal
The state animal is Dugong – a sea mammal really endemic to Indo-Pacific sea coast areas, especially to Andaman Islands.
Known popularly as sea-cow, this is a herbivorous marine mammal, and is an endangered species with dwindling numbers.
Dugong – The State Animal
The sea grass available abundantly along the Andaman coast line is the main food of these gentle sea mammals along with other marine water vegetation.
Dugong looks rotund weighing about 400 kg and reaches about three meters in length as it grows into an adult. It has a dolphin like fluked tail. It is strictly a marine herbivorous – eats only vegetation found in marine water like sea grass.
Along with Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the Dugong can be found only in Gulf of Mannar, Gulf of Kutch and Palk Bay areas.
- The places where Dugongs are spotted in Andaman Islands are:
- Shallow waters in and around Little Andaman,
- North Reef,
- Parts of Nicobar Islands, and
- Ritchie’s Archipelago
Andaman Islands Information: The State Tree
Andaman Padauk – The State Tree
The state tree Andaman Padauk is a charming looking tropical deciduous tree with burr and buttress pattern giving it a distinct look. It is endemic to these islands only.
Growing to a height of 120 feet or so, this tree is highly prized for its distinct reddish coloured timber from which beautiful furniture pieces are manufactured.
Growing tall, they spread out into branches after about 60-65 feet and form a thick canopy like cover at the top.
They have flying saucer shaped inedible fruits.
Though not an extremely large place, the Andaman Islands never fail to surprise the tourists coming here. There is no dearth of fascinating natural beauties, historical places as well as trilling activities.
Food, festivals, religious stance are some other aspects which one should be aware of before visiting a tourist destination. In our next post, we’ll strive to provide you with as much information as possible about those facets.
For people planning to visit the Emerald Islands, Andaman Holidays have packages for all tastes and preferences.
