“In the last 20 years, Indian Peafowl has expanded into the high Himalaya and the rainforests of the Western Ghats. It now occurs in every district in Kerala, a state where it was once extremely rare. Apart from expanding its range, it also appears to be increasing in population density in areas where it occurred earlier,” the report says.

Among the chook species which were doing properly, in comparison with their pre-2000 baseline, the Asian Koel has proven a speedy enhance in abundance of 75%, with an annual present enhance of two.7% per 12 months. So have the House Crow, Rock Pigeon and the Alexandrine Parakeet that has established new populations in a number of cities.

Released after a niche of three years, the report is an evaluation of the distribution vary, tendencies in abundance and conservation standing of 942 of India’s 1,200 chook species and has been carried out by 13 companion organisations, together with the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and Zoological Survey of India (ZSI).

The assessments depend on three indices. Two of them are associated to vary in abundance — long-term development (change over 30 years) and present annual development (change over previous seven years) — and the third is a measure of distribution vary dimension in India. According to the report, long-term tendencies in addition to present annual tendencies couldn’t be established for most of the 942 species.

Of the 338 species, for which long-term tendencies have been recognized, it says, 204 or 60% have declined in the long run, 98 species are steady, whereas 36 have elevated. Similarly, present annual tendencies may very well be decided for 359 species, of which 142 species or 39% are declining, 64 are in speedy decline, 189 are steady and 28 chook species are rising.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species exhibits that 49% of chook species worldwide are declining in inhabitants, in contrast with solely 6% rising.

The vary dimension, or measurement of a chook species’ territory and residential vary, was assessed for all 942 chook species. According to the report, the vary dimension of 39% chook species is average, 33% may be very giant whereas 28% species inhabit a “restricted and really restricted’’ space.

Using IUCN requirements, the report says that 178 chook species are excessive conservation precedence, 323 as average precedence and 441 as low precedence. Species of excessive precedence embody these whose abundance indices have declined significantly in the long run and proceed to say no at the moment.

“It is very difficult to carry out a census on birds. It is not done anywhere in the world. Instead, we look at the ‘abundance’ of the bird species based on sightings. This gives us an indication of the population size as well as its distribution,” says Dr Ghazala Shahabuddin of ATREE, one of many lead authors of the report.

The report discovered that chook species that are “specialists’’ – restricted to slim habitats like wetlands, rainforests and grasslands, versus species that may inhabit a variety of habitats comparable to plantations and agricultural fields – are quickly declining.

The “generalist’’ birds that may stay in a number of habitat sorts are doing properly as a bunch, the report says.

“Specialists, nevertheless, are extra threatened than generalists. Grassland specialists have declined by greater than 50%, indicating the significance of defending and sustaining grassland ecosystems.

A steep decline of birds that live in a wide variety of open habitats along with grasslands suggests a necessity to analyze threats in, for instance, open agricultural landscapes and fallow land. Birds which can be woodland specialists (forests or plantations) have additionally declined greater than generalists, indicating a must preserve pure forest habitats in order that they supply habitat to specialists,” says the report.

Abundance tendencies of migratory species present that long-distance migrants, comparable to migratory birds from Eurasia or the Arctic, have declined essentially the most – by greater than 50% – adopted by short-distance migrants.

Shorebirds that breed within the Arctic have been notably affected, declining by near 80%. By distinction, resident species as a bunch have remained rather more steady.

Dietary necessities of birds have additionally proven up in abundance tendencies. Birds that feed on vertebrates and carrion have declined essentially the most, “suggesting that this meals useful resource both comprises dangerous pollution’’.

Vultures had been practically pushed to extinction by consuming carcasses contaminated with diclofenac. One of essentially the most prolific birds in India, their numbers had dropped to close zero within the Nineties-early 2000s. Raptors are one of the affected species within the nation attributable to agrochemicals, the report says.

White-rumped Vulture, Indian Vulture, and Red-headed Vulture have suffered the utmost long-term declines (98%, 95%, and 91%, respectively). Today, remnant vulture populations happen in and round Protected Areas.

The report has discovered that birds that feed on invertebrates, together with bugs, are declining quickly, which is in line with the worldwide tendencies of lower in insect populations. The development evaluation exhibits that birds that feed on fruits and nectar are doing properly.

Birds which can be endemic to the Western Ghats and Sri Lanka biodiversity hotspot have quickly declined in India over the previous few a long time.

India is house to 232 endemic species, discovered nowhere else on this planet.

In the Western Ghats, most endemics are inhabitants of rainforest, comparable to White-bellied Treepie and Wayanad Laughingthrush. In explicit, the Great Grey Shrike has proven a long-term decline of greater than 80%.

Ducks are additionally quickly declining in India. India hosts eight resident and 35 migratory species, which occupy a variety of habitats, together with inland lakes and tanks, submerged paddy fields, rivers, forest swimming pools, and coastal lagoons. Large congregations of geese happen in Chilika, Pulicat, Rann of Kachchh, Maguri, Loktak, Sambhar, and Keoladeo. The
Baer’s Pochard, Common Pochard, Andaman Teal have been discovered to be most weak.

Riverine sandbar-nesting birds are additionally exhibiting a decline attributable to widespread pressures on rivers from irrigation schemes, transportation, human disturbance, home use, and air pollution from agricultural and industrial chemical compounds, variations within the water degree and sand mining.

Of the big waterbirds, the Glossy Ibis and Black-headed Ibis have elevated dramatically in abundance over the previous three a long time, by over 130% and 80%, respectively. The Painted Stork and Spot-billed Pelican present a trajectory of enhance after which newer lower of 2-4% per 12 months to succeed in historic ranges. But the Eurasian
Spoonbill has declined by greater than 50% in the long run and by over 6% yearly since 2015.
Sarus Crane has quickly declined over the long run and continues to take action.

Of the 11 species of woodpeckers for which clear long-term tendencies may very well be obtained, seven seem steady, two are declining, and two are in speedy decline. The Yellow-crowned Woodpecker, inhabiting widespread thorn and scrub forest, has declined by greater than 70% previously three a long time.

While half of all bustards worldwide are threatened, the three species that breed in India – the Great Indian Bustard, the Lesser Florican, and the Bengal Florican – have been discovered to be most weak.