Thousands of Shamuk Bhanga birds showed up at a village in Faridpur and the locals made it a safe haven for them.

The chirping of the birds can be heard throughout the day at Akhanvatapara village in Sadar upazila. The village, some 5km from Faridpur town, now attracts a large number of visitors, including bird lovers.

There are a number of trees on the homestead of one Ashok Kumar Chowdhury in the village, and the birds have taken shelter on the trees. Locals say the birds have been staying there for the last two years.

 The villagers have taken it upon themselves to protect the birds. They say they alert newcomers and visitors and prevent them from hunting.

They even search bags of visitors to make sure they do not bring traps or nets with them.

Ashok, who is a village doctor by profession, said, "The birds first came here five years ago, but went away after some days. They flew in the next year but left again. Finally, the birds started staying here for the last two years."

According to locals, the birds leave the trees in the morning in search of food in nearby rivers, canals and ponds, and come back around noon. After a few hours, they wing their way to the water bodies again and return at dusk.

Villager Anjana Mondol, wife of Sunil Mondol, said, "We enjoy the chirping of the birds. It is really fascinating to see the birds flying in unison."

Expressing his resolve to protect the birds, Sofi Sheikh, a villager, said, the villagers take good care of the birds and keep a watchful eye on them so that the birds are not hunted or killed.

"We neither kill the birds nor do we allow others to kill them. If any bird gets injured due to storm or heavy rain, we try our best to treat it," he said.