Of the 63 species spotted during
the census, 27 were of resident water birds and 36 of winter migratory water
birds such as the northern lapwing and the common shelduck.
An almost twofold increase in the
number of birds spotted, nine threatened species managing to thrive, and two
rare ones finding home at the Okhla Bird Sanctuary marked the first day of the
Asian Waterbird Census, which began in the capital Saturday.
T K Roy, ecologist and AWC state
coordinator, said the census is carried out at important wetlands across the
country to help identify and protect new sites for birds.
“There has been an increase in
water bird species diversity. A total of 11,622 birds were spotted across 63
species. This is in comparison to 53 species and 6,183 total birds in 2017. In
2016, this was even less — 46 species and 3,113 birds,” he said.
The 2018 census for Delhi region
will be carried out at six important wetlands — Okhla Bird Sanctuary, Surajpur
Wetland, Najafgarh Drain & Jheel, River Yamuna, Sanjay Lake and the
National Zoological Park. “The Okhla Bird Sanctuary is a unique urban wetland,
where water birds are found in the heart of Delhi-NCR. The 2018 census is being
carried out by the Wetlands International South Asia in collaboration with the
Gautam Budh Nagar Forest department and volunteers from different
universities,” he said.
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