Finn's Weaver nearing extinction in Northern India

Mumbai: Finn’s Weaver, one of four weaverbird species found in India, is on the brink of disappearing from northern states.

Endemic to India and Nepal, the Finn’s Weaver (Ploceus megarhynchus) was long considered elusive until its rediscovery in Kumaon terai in 1959, following two fruitless searches in 1934 and 1954, by the renowned ornithologist Dr Sálim Ali.

Since 2016, the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) has been monitoring the species with support from the Dr Sálim Ali Fund, revealing alarming population declines.

The BNHS August 2025 newsletter flagged the concern.

Finn’s Weaver has a very restricted distribution in the lower terai, from the plains up to 1,300 mts.

Two subspecies are recognized: ‘P. m. megarhynchus’, found in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Western Nepal, and ‘P. m. Salimalii’, distributed in West Bengal and Assam.

Globally, Finn’s Weaver is estimated at fewer than 1,000 individuals, with less than 500 adults in India as of 2017. In north India, populations have plummeted by 84–96% over the past 15 years.

BirdLife International reclassified the species from Vulnerable to Endangered in 2021.

However, BNHS now warns that the western population - ‘P. m. megarhynchus’, is ‘almost extinct’ in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

Historical records also highlight the sharp contraction in its range.

BirdLife International listed 17 locations for Finn’s Weaver in India in 2001, based on data from 1866–2000.

“The survival of Finn’s Weaver now hangs in the balance. Without urgent interventions, the western population may vanish entirely, leaving only scattered eastern colonies to carry forward this unique species,” BNHS Director Kishor Rithe said.

BNHS expanded this number to 47 through targeted surveys, but by 2017 the species was confirmed at only nine sites. Among these were three new locations – Haripura Dam in Uttarakhand, and Harewali Dam and Bhagwanpur Raini in Uttar Pradesh – identified with the help of former bird trappers.

While the eastern population shows some resilience, the situation in the west is dire. In 2024, BNHS recorded Finn’s Weavers at Manas and Orang National Parks in Assam, and in 2025, a breeding colony was discovered in Kaziranga during a census by the Assam Forest Department. Birds were

also seen nesting at Manas, suggesting that the eastern subspecies continues to survive in protected habitats.

The western subspecies tells a very different story.

Despite extensive efforts in 2025 by BNHS, ornithologists, nature guides, and former trappers, no breeding colonies were found in Uttar Pradesh or Uttarakhand. Haripura Dam, once a key site, yielded no nesting records. At best, only two individuals were sighted there this summer, and three more were reported from Seohara in Bijnor district.

Interviews with former bird trappers in multiple cities – including Gorakhpur, Lucknow, and Kolkata – produced no evidence of the bird in the wild or in trade, the BNHS report states.

The decline is driven by heavy disturbances at breeding sites. At Haripura Dam, the land managed by the Irrigation Department is auctioned for commercial fishing. Fishermen drain wetlands for harvest during the weaver’s breeding season (May–August), destroying nesting habitat. Growing crow predation, fuelled by expanding human settlements, garbage, and grass collection, poses additional pressure.

The BNHS recommended uplisting the species to Critically Endangered and establishing a Conservation Breeding Centre in the north Indian terai through the Central Zoo Authority and state governments. DNA studies of the two subspecies have also been proposed to determine whether significant genetic differences exist, which could further influence conservation priorities.