Some bird species in India showing rapid population decline: Report

178 species including Common Teal, Tufted Duck, Greater Flamingo, Sarus Crane, Indian Courser, Andaman Serpent Eagle, etc., have been classified as 'high conservation priority'.

Four bird species—Small Pratincole, Little Ringed Plover, Great Thick-knee and Little Tern—have shown a distressing decline of 50-80 per cent in their populations, according to the State of India’s Birds (SoIB) report 2023.

The report also highlights the population decline of grassland birds like the Great Indian Bustard, Bengal, and Lesser Florican.

“Though the report is based on the citizen science data, it has shown us the mirror about the status of the Indian birds and hence we need to act together without any delay," said Kishor Rithe, Interim Director of Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS).

Energy infrastructure has negative impacts on large-bodied birds, such as storks, bustards, cranes, vultures, eagles, but other smaller species suffer collisions too.

The SoIB report also highlighted major threats to the coastal habitats like habitat degradation, land use changes, developmental activities, blocking of river mouths, intensification of commercial aquaculture, and non-conventional salt production and illegal killing.

The report mentions a sharp decline of up to 80 per cent of four common waders wintering along India’s coasts, viz., Terek Sandpiper, Curlew Sandpiper, Eurasian Curlew, Whimbrel, and Lesser Sand Plover.

The report underscores a distressing decline of 50-80 per cent in the populations of four species: the Small Pratincole, Little Ringed Plover, Great Thick-knee, and Little Tern. Both the Indian Skimmer and Black-bellied Tern, meanwhile, have been designated as species of High Conservation Priority.

As per the report, in terms of priority, the Indian Skimmer has been identified as one of the top four species for conservation efforts in the territories of Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh.

Similarly, the Black-bellied Tern has been recognized as a top-priority species for conservation in the Delhi, Odisha, Punjab, and Telangana.

Mid-river sandbars serve as vital nesting grounds for certain bird species, with the Indian Skimmer and Black-bellied Tern being notable examples. Unfortunately, these species are facing a concerning decline in their populations, leading to their Endangered status on the IUCN Red List. Sharing these nesting sites are other avian species including the River Lapwing, River Tern, Little Tern, Great Thick-knee (Near Threatened), and Small Pratincole.

Once widely distributed across Southeast Asia, the Indian Skimmer and Black-bellied Tern have experienced a significant reduction in their distribution range and decline in the population, and are now largely limited to India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Myanmar. This decline can be attributed to the widespread degradation of river habitats due to factors like irrigation projects, sand mining, transportation activities, heightened human disturbances, domestic utilization, and pollution from agricultural and industrial sources.