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CONCEPT – STATE OF INDIA'S BIRDS REPORT 2020
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- What it is: The State of India’s Birds report is the first comprehensive assessment of the distribution range, trends in abundance, and conservation status for most of the bird species that regularly occur in India. With their ubiquity and ecological importance, birds are excellent indicators of the state of our natural world and are potent cultural symbols of nature. This national-level assessment of birds is a significant step forward in the monitoring and conservation of India’s rich and varied biodiversity.
- On birds: Birds have always been part of Indian culture. Over 3,000 years ago, the Yajurveda referred to the parasitic habit of the Asian Koel, the first such mention in global literature. Indigenous communities such as the Warlis in Maharashtra worship the Indian Peafowl. Mughal art is filled with depictions of vultures, cranes and other birds. Guru Gobind Singh, the Sikh guru, was famous as the keeper of the Chitta Baz, the white falcon. Even today, the people of India revere the Sarus Crane for its fidelity, delight in the antics of the familiar House Sparrow, and consider the Pied Cuckoo (or Chaatak) to be the harbinger of the monsoon.
- Ecological significance: The cultural significance of birds is complemented by their ecological importance. Birds play vital roles in the health of ecosystems through their actions as pollinators, seed dispersers, predators, scavengers, and as prey for other species. Hornbills and other fruit-eating birds are critically important in dispersing the seeds of many plants, and through this, in sustaining forest health. Vultures are vital as scavengers, and their decline has had many negative consequences. The increasing popularity of birdwatching has driven the growth of ecotourism, contributing significantly to local economies in remote and biodiverse areas of the country.
- Causes for concern: Since the 1990s, the populations of several species of vultures have crashed. During this time, bustards and other specialist grassland birds have also experienced clear declines. Some species that are popular in the bird trade, such as the Green Munia, are at dangerously low abundance. The Jerdon’s Courser was rediscovered in 1986 after a gap of 138 years, but has not been seen since 2008. However, there is good news as well: the Forest Owlet, rediscovered in 1997, is being reported from many more locations.
- What is the state of India's birds: This question is surprisingly difficult to answer. Despite India’s long history of ornithological discovery and research, abundance trends are known for only a handful of bird species. These tend to be species that are larger, more obviously threatened and relatively charismatic. For the vast majority of Indian birds, lack of data has hindered a clear understanding of how they are faring. Such an understanding is vital for conservation science, management and policy.
- Citizen science: Over the past few years, this key problem—of data deficit—is being tackled with the growth of citizen science. Today, increasing numbers of birdwatchers are helping generate the information needed, making it possible to assess the status of the majority of bird species that regularly occur in India.
- State of India's Birds 2020 Report: This report assesses the status of 867 bird species using data uploaded by birdwatchers to the online platform eBird. This assessment is based on three indices.
- Two are indices of change in abundance: Long-term Trend (i.e. over 25+ years) and Current Annual Trend (i.e. over the past 5 years);
- The third is a measure of Distribution Range Size (refer to summary tables on page 5).
- Of the 261 species for which long-term trends could be determined (i.e. not Uncertain or Data Deficient), 52% have declined since the year 2000, with 22% declining strongly.
- In all, 43% of species showed a long-term trend that was stable and 5% showed an increasing trend.
- Current annual trends could be estimated for 146 species (excluding those Uncertain or Data Deficient). Of these, nearly 80% are declining, with almost 50% declining strongly. Just over 6% are stable and 14% increasing.
- The range size of all but 6 species were estimated. Most species (46%) have Moderate range sizes. A further 33% have Large or Very Large range sizes, and 21% have Restricted or Very Restricted range sizes.
- Categorisation: Using these three indices together with the IUCN Red List, each species was classified into categories of conservation concern for India: 442 into Low Concern, 319 into Moderate Concern and 101 into High Concern. Species of High Concern include those whose abundance indices have declined considerably in the long term and continue to decline today. Species were also categorised as High Concern if their current range is Very Restricted, or if their abundance trend could not be assessed but they are classified as globally threatened in the IUCN Red List.
- Of the species in the High category of conservation concern, 26% (26 species) are classified as globally ‘Least Concern’ by the IUCN Red List 2019.
- On the other hand, 7 species considered globally ‘Near Threatened’ or ‘Vulnerable’ are classified as being of Low Concern in India through this assessment. These are Ferruginous Duck, Black-tailed Godwit, Woolly-necked Stork, Oriental Darter, Black-headed Ibis, Alexandrine Parakeet and Long-tailed Parakeet.
- Importance of the report: This report contains highlights of the analyses for species of national interest, and for functional, taxonomic, ecological and behavioural groups of birds. Species nomenclature generally follows the India Checklist v3.1 (www.indianbirds.in/ india). Additional details, including a full listing of species with scientific names, are available at www.stateofindiasbirds.in
- Citizen science: Citizen science is a form of research where scientists and members of the public work together towards addressing scientific questions. These kinds of efforts are being used increasingly to answer pressing questions about the world, including in the fields of astronomy, biochemistry, history and meteorology. But perhaps nowhere is the power of citizen science more apparent than in studies of ecology and biodiversity. Almost all large-scale assessments of the status and trends of biodiversity rely on hundreds of thousands of hours of effort contributed by citizen scientists.
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