Biodiversity of India – Important Birds

Vultures

Vultures, once globally abundant including in the Indian subcontinent, play key roles in ecology, society, and culture, particularly in scavenging carcasses, thereby maintaining environmental hygiene and supporting Zoroastrian funeral practices. However, they’re now endangered.

India has nine species of vultures in the wild. These are:

1. Oriental White-backed Vulture (Gyps bengalensis)
2. Slender billed Vulture (Gyps tenuirostris)
3. Long billed Vulture (Gyps indicus)
4. Egyptian Vulture (Neophronpercnopterus)
5. Red Headed Vulture (Sarcogypscalvus)
6. Indian Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus)
7. Himalayan Griffon (Gyps himalayensis)
8. Cinereous Vulture (Aegypiusmonachus)
9. Bearded Vulture or Lammergeier (Gypaetus barbatus)

All these species are facing sharp declines since the late 1990s due to diclofenac, a livestock painkiller causing kidney failure and death in vultures. The decline, especially in White-backed, Slender-billed, and Long-billed vultures, disrupted ecosystems, leading to increased feral animals and disease risks.

To combat this, the Indian government banned veterinary diclofenac in 2006, initiated conservation efforts, and established breeding centers and Vulture Safe Zones. The Bombay Natural History Society leads these efforts, focusing on captive breeding, habitat risk research, and public awareness. Released captive-bred vultures are monitored for successful integration into the wild. Despite diclofenac’s ban, alternative harmful drugs remain a threat, necessitating ongoing research, policy advocacy, and conservation initiatives.

Great Indian Bustard

The Great Indian Bustard, an endemic bird, once common on India’s grasslands, is now confined to just eight pockets across six Indian states, has seen its population plunge to less than 250. Habitat loss due to agricultural expansion in its arid grassland habitat is the primary threat, along with hunting, lack of legal protection, disturbance, grazing pressure, and other human activities. Efforts are also ongoing to breed them in captivity to boost numbers as they continue to decline due to habitat loss and hunting. Their mating displays are elaborate with males inflating their throat pouches and making booming calls to attract females.

Jerdon’s Courser

The Jerdon’s Courser (Rhinoptilus bitorquatus) is a nocturnal bird endemic to Andhra Pradesh. It is a flagship species for the extremely threatened scrub jungle. The species was considered to be extinct until it was rediscovered in 1986 and the area of rediscovery was subsequently declared as the Sri Lankamaleswara Wildlife Sanctuary.

Forest Owlet

The Forest Owlet (Heteroglaux blewitti) had been lost for more than a century. When not sighted for decades, posters were printed and Salim Ali, the premier ornithologist of India made a public appeal to look for the bird. After 113 long years, the owlet was rediscovered in 1997 and reappeared on the list of Indian birds. It is thinly distributed in South Madhya Pradesh, in north-west Maharashtra and north-central Maharashtra.

White-bellied Heron

The White-bellied Heron (Ardea insignis) is an extremely rare bird found in five or six sites in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, one or two sites in Bhutan, and a few in Myanmar. It is inherently rare, and populations have never been known to be very high.

Himalayan Quail

The Himalayan Quail (Ophrysia superciliosa) is presumed to be extinct since no reliable records of sightings of this species exist after 1876. Intensive surveys are required as this species is hard to detect due to its reluctance to fly and its preference for dense grass habitats. Possible sighting of this species was reported in Nainital in 2003.

Sociable Lapwing

Sociable Lapwing (Vanellus gregarious) is a winter migrant to India. This species has suffered a sudden and rapid population decline due to which it has been listed as critically endangered. It is found in fallow fields and scrub desert and is native to Central Asia, South Asia some countries in Middle East. In India, distribution is restricted to the north and north-west of the country.

Spoon Billed Sandpiper

Spoon Billed Sandpiper (Eurynorhynchus pygmeus) requires highly specialized breeding habitat, a constraint that has always kept its population scarce. India is home to some of the last existing wintering grounds of this species (estimated at only 150-320 breeding pairs worldwide).

Siberian Crane

Siberian Crane (Grus leucogeranus) is a large, strikingly majestic migratory bird that breeds and winters in wetlands. They are known to winter at Keoladeo National Park, Rajasthan. However the last documented sighting of the bird was in 2002.

Narcondam hornbill

Narcondam hornbill is endemic to the Indian island of Narcondam in the Andaman’s. The entire population is restricted to the single island of Narcondam in the Andaman Island which is largely devoid of human presence.

White-bellied Heron

With only 200-250 individuals remaining, this large, gray heron inhabits rivers in foothill forests of India, Bhutan and Myanmar. Loss of nesting habitat and disturbance have contributed to its endangered status. Careful monitoring of breeding pairs seeks to boost nest success while community outreach aims to reduce hunting pressure. Their survival depends on protection of Himalayan river ecosystems.

Here are some of the bird species of India arranged in a table: