146 species recorded in Kaziranga bird survey

GUWAHATI

The Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, home to the most one-horned rhinos on earth, recorded 146 species in the latest bird survey, Assam’s wildlife officials said on Sunday (October 19, 2025).

The survey by the Assam Bird Monitoring Network in collaboration with the Kaziranga authorities was timed with Kati Bihu on Saturday. It was conducted across five key locations – Agoratoli, Gamiri, Panbari, and Panpur ranges of the national park and the adjoining Laokhowa Wildlife Sanctuary.

The surveyors recorded 1,919 avian individuals belonging to 146 species. Agoratoli showed the highest diversity with 89 species, followed by Gamiri and Panbari (59 species each), Panpur (55 species), and Laokhowa (37 species).

Two of the recorded species (swamp grass babbler and Pallas’s fish eagle) were endangered, six (river tern, greater spotted eagle, slender-billed babbler, lesser adjutant stork, great hornbill, and swamp francolin) were vulnerable, six (woolly-necked stork, northern lapwing, blossom-headed parakeet, grey-headed fish eagle, spot-billed pelican, and river lapwing) were near threatened, and 132 species were of least concern.

Kaziranga officials said that several important resident and migratory birds were recorded during the survey. These include the blue-eared barbet, bluethroat, grey-headed lapwing, grey-headed woodpecker, greater racket-tailed drongo, and Indian spot-billed duck.

“The Kati Bihu Bird Count 2025 served as a significant citizen science initiative, promoting inclusive, community-based conservation. The active participation of students, youth, birders, and especially women forest staff demonstrated a growing commitment to wildlife conservation in Assam,” Kaziranga’s director, Sonali Ghosh, said.

The autumnal Kati Bihu is one of Assam’s three major agrarian festivals. The others are the mid-January Bhogali or Magh Bihu and the mid-April Rongali or Bohag Bihu.