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India’s bird population on the decline
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- Over a fifth of India’s bird diversity, ranging from Short-toed Snake Eagle to Sirkeer Malkoha, has suffered strong long-term declines over a 25-year period, while more recent annual trends point to a drastic 80% loss among several common birds, said a new scientific report.
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- State of India’s Birds 2020 (SoIB)
(1) It used a base of 867 species, analysed with the help of data uploaded by birdwatchers at online platform, eBird.
(2) Adequate data on how birds fared over a period of over 25 years are available only for 261 species. Current annual trends are calculated over a 5-year period.
(3) Several spectacular birds, many endemic to the sub-continent, face a growing threat from
(a) loss of habitat due to human activity,
(b) widespread presence of toxins, including pesticides;
(c) hunting and trapping for the pet trade.
(4) Diminishing population sizes of many birds because of one factor brings them closer to extinction because of the accelerated effects of others.
(5) For every bird species that was found to be increasing over long term, 11 have suffered losses, some catastrophically.
(6) Health of avifauna based on scientific groupings like raptors, habitat, diet, migratory status & endemicity: raptors overall are in decline, with ‘open country’ species such as the Pallid & Montagu Harriers, White-bellied Sea Eagle & Red-necked Falcon suffering the most.
- Rare urban sparrows:
(1) Of 101 species categorised as being of High Conservation Concern, 59 based on range & abundance and the rest included from high-risk birds on the IUCN Red List — endemics such as Rufous-fronted Prinia, Nilgiri Thrush, Nilgiri Pipit & Indian vulture were confirmed as suffering current decline.
(2) All except 13 had a restricted or highly restricted range, indicating greater vulnerability to man-made threats.
(3) Common sparrow, long seen as declining in urban spaces, has a stable population overall, although data from major cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad & Chennai confirm that they have become rare in cities and urban areas.
(4) Possible reasons: decrease in insect populations, nesting places, with no conclusive evidence on radiation from mobile phone towers playing a part.
Sources
The Hindu