As many as 1,067 bird species were spotted during a pan-India survey, the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) - which is an annual citizen science event that engages bird enthusiasts of all skill levels in counting birds and contributing to bird conservation.
Into its 11th edition, this year’s event was celebrated from 17-20 February, 2023, which has now been published.
The 2023 edition of the event saw India emerge second among 190 participating countries.
Over the four days of GBBC, Indian birdwatchers uploaded over 46,000 checklists and 1,067 bird species to eBird - an online platform to record bird observations.
Birders from 35 States and Union Territories participated in the GBBC. While Kerala recorded the highest number of checklists (9,786 lists), West Bengal reported the highest number of species (489 bird species). Kudos to birders from Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh,
Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Nagaland, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Manipur for their enthusiastic participation in this year’s GBBC.
“Events like GBBC provide impetus to civil society to study bird populations, distribution, and migration patterns as well as their local status. The data contributed by citizen scientists are also used by scientists and conservationists to better understand and protect bird species. India’s strong participation in the event reflects the growing interest in birdwatching and conservation in the country, and highlights the rich biodiversity of the Indian subcontinent,” according to a statement by GBBC organisers.
“Birdwatchers of Bihar have worked hard together to make GBBBC a success, and the results show: more species and checklists have been recorded this year compared to the previous year, and its safe to say that this event has stoked their passion for birds,” said Rahul Kumar, naturalist and birdwatcher from Bihar.
“The event was significant as it fascinated students to learn more about the birds and to take initiative to observe them,” said Vaishnavi Padigala, second year environmental science undergraduate from Fergusson College.