Kendrapada: Two greater flamingo birds which were fitted with GPS-GSM solar-powered trackers in Jan and released at Nalaban area of Chilika Lake to track their migratory routes have preferred to stay in the lagoon this summer, though many migratory birds have already flown out of the lake.The forest department in collaboration with Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun on Jan 11 fitted the trackers on the legs of the two birds at Nalaban area of Chilika Lake to map out their migratory path in the sky. “Our research proves that despite the heat greater flamingosprefer to stay in Chilika during summer due to the availability of food and favourable conditions. We hope during monsoon in June they will migrate to the Rann of Kutch and the Nalsarovar bird sanctuary in Gujarat as water is not available for birds in Gujarat in the summer. Abundant fish during summer and distance from human habitation made it suitable for the flamingos to stay back in Chilika in the summer,” Dr Suresh Kumar, a senior scientist of WII, Dehradun, said on Sunday.“The white feathers of the greater flamingos also help in regulating their body temperature during summer. The white colour reflects sunlight and reduces the amount of heat absorbed by the feathers, helping to keep their body cool, which is why many flamingos stay in Chilika during summer,” he added.”Tracking is most often conducted to get information on reproductive biology, movements and growth rates. The GPS-GSM solar-powered trackers help us in studying the migratory route of birds and their areas of foraging,” he said, adding, “Both the trackers are marked with a serial number to help us track their migratory routes.”In the past, we ringed many birds to gather information about their routes. But for the first time, we fitted GPS-GSM solar-powered trackers on the legs of two migratory birds, Kumar said.