The State of India’s Birds-2023 report

The State of India’s Birds report:

1. The report is an assessment of the distribution range, trends in abundance and conservation status of 942 of India’s 1,200 bird species
2. Carried out by 13 partner organisations, including the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and Zoological Survey of India (ZSI).
3. It has been released after a gap of three years.
4. 3 indices are used as parameters for the assessment:
   1. Change in abundanceàlong-term trend (change over 30 years) 
   2. Change in abundanceà current annual trend (change over past seven years)
   3. Distribution range size in India.

The 2023 report:

1. There is a general decline in numbers in most bird species in the country showing either current decline or in the long term.
2. Certain bird species show an increasing trend:
   • Several bird species such as the Indian Peafowl, Rock Pigeon, Asian Koel and House Crow are not only healthy in both abundance and distribution, but showing an “increasing trend”.
3. The Indian Peafowl
   • The Indian Peafowl, India’s national bird has rapidly increased with expansion into habitats where it has never occurred previously like the high Himalayas and the rainforests of the Western Ghats and increased population density.
4. Asian Koel has shown a rapid increase in abundance of 75%, with an annual current increase of 2.7% per year.
5. The House Crow, Rock Pigeon and the Alexandrine Parakeet that has established new populations in several cities.
6. The range size of bird species:
   • 39% bird species is moderate
   • 33% is very large
   • 28% species inhabit a “restricted and very restricted’’ area.
7. Using IUCN standards, the report states on conservation priority as follows;
   • 178 bird species are high conservation priority
   • 323 as moderate priority
   • 441 as low priority. 
8. Bird species which are “specialists’’ (restricted to narrow habitats) are rapidly declining while the “generalist’’ birds (birds that can live in multiple habitat types) are thriving well as a group.
   • Grassland specialists have declined by more than 50%

9. A steep decline of birds that live in a wide variety of open habitats such as open agricultural landscapes and fallow land.
10. Abundance trends of migratory species:
    • Long-distance migrants, such as migratory birds from Eurasia or the Arctic, have declined by more than 50%, followed by short-distance migrants.
    • Shorebirds that breed in the Arctic have declined by 80%.
11. Birds that feed on vertebrates and carrion have declined the most, “suggesting that this food resource either contains harmful pollutants’’.
    • Raptors are one of the most affected species in the country due to agrochemicals.
    • White-rumped Vulture, Indian Vulture, and Red-headed Vulture have suffered the maximum long-term declines (98%, 95%, and 91%, respectively)
12. Worldwide trends of decrease in insect populations have found that birds that feed on invertebrates, including insects, are declining rapidly.
13. Birds endemic to the Western Ghats and Sri Lanka biodiversity hotspot have rapidly declined in India over the past few decades.
    • The Great Grey Shrike has shown a long-term decline of more than 80%.
14. Ducks are also rapidly declining in India:
    • The Baer’s Pochard, Common Pochard, Andaman Teal have been found to be most vulnerable.
15. Riverine sandbar-nesting birds are showing a decline and the causative factors include
    • Widespread pressures on rivers from irrigation schemes
    • Transportation
    • Human disturbance
    • Domestic use
    • Pollution from agricultural and industrial chemicals
    • Variations in the water level
    • Sand mining.
16. Of the large waterbirds, the Glossy Ibis and Black-headed Ibis, The Painted Stork and Spot-billed Pelican have increased dramatically in abundance over the past three decades.
17. The Yellow-crowned Woodpecker, inhabiting widespread thorn and scrub forest, has declined by more than 70% in the past three decades.
18. While half of all bustards worldwide are threatened, the three species that breed in India have been found to be most vulnerable.
    • The Great Indian Bustard
    • The Lesser Florican
    • The Bengal Florican