The silence that descended on the steel city after the lockdown has been replaced by the sound of flapping wings.

Pigeons, crows, sparrows and mynahs are now being spotted in large numbers in places that they seldom visited earlier.

But residents are not complaining. Some of them have taken up the responsibility of feeding the feathered friends lest they go hungry.

Ornithologist K.K. Sharma said the sense of security and confidence among the birds have increased manifold because of lesser human interference following the lockdown.

“This is called nomadic bird movement. They now fly everywhere across the city and are not confined to one particular place. Birds are feeling very independent and can be seen in good numbers across Jamshedpur,” he added.

Sharma, a member of Ornithological Society of India who has studied fruit bats and greater adjutant stork, said before the lockdown, birds kept themselves restricted to areas where food availability was not an issue.

“But now with the roads, markets and colonies wearing a deserted look, the birds are feeling free to fly anywhere. The environment is conducive for them and they are taking full advantage of it,” Sharma, a former head of zoology wing at Jamshedpur Co-operative College, said.

According to him, independence means everything to birds. Food is secondary.

“Birds will not go hungry. Nature will provide them food. They are not dependent on food offered by humans. The birds are dependent on nature and they identify places where food is available,” Sharma pointed out.

The ornithologist, who has also studied the dolphins in the Ganges, said birds were now flocking to the temples in large numbers because they were confident nobody would hurt them.

Sharma said the situation would go back to square one once the lockdown was lifted.

The changed scenario has made bird lovers happy.

“I have never seen so many birds in my area. I don’t remember sighting sparrows for a long time. But now they are found everywhere. I take the opportunity to feed them in the morning,” said Abhilash Senapati, a resident of Bistupur.

Kadma homemaker Sunita Jha said she felt happy to see pigeons, sparrows and crows assembling in good numbers at the small patch of land in front of her home.