State of India’s Birds 2020: What does the report say & who prepared it?

The first report on Indian Birds, here is what data is saying


In the 13th Conference of Parties (13 COP) of the Convention on Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, a first of its kind report on Indian birds was released.

Who prepared the report?

The report was a collaborative effort of 10 organisations-

  1. National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS)
  1. Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE)
  1. Bombay Natural History Society(BNHS)
  1. Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF)
  1. National Biodiversity Authority
  1. Foundation for ecological security
  1. Wetlands International
  1. WWF- World Wildlife Fund for nature
  1. World Wildlife Institute of India
  1. Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History

Key Highlights

  • 867 species of Indian birds were assessed in this report
  • There has been a 100% increase in the abundance of peafowl across the country over the past decades. They have expanded their range to states like Kerala.
  • 52% of species show clear declines over the past decade- raptors, migratory shorebirds are some examples which have shown a decline
  • A total of 101 species have been classified as of High Conservation Concern, and require immediate attention
  • Large cities have seen a decrease in house sparrows, but the overall population is stable

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  • Raptors (who hunt prey and scavengers like vultures) have seen a decline overall. The anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac was seen as the main reason for the decline of vultures.
  • Migratory shorebirds have shown a steep decline. The possible reasons are due to changing conditions at breeding, staging or wintering sites.
  • In terms of habitats, forest species have shown a maximum decline, followed by grassland/scrubland species, and then wetland species.
  • India has 4 species of bustards- Great Indian Bustard (GIB), Macqueen’s Bustard, Lesser Florican and Bengal Florican. All these have shown a decline, the maximum decline has been seen in GIB.
  • Asian Koel, Rose-ringed Parakeet and Common Tailorbird have stable or increasing patterns

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