GUWAHATI: A total of 1,05,540 birds belonging to 107 species were recorded during the 7th Kaziranga Waterfowl Assessment conducted last winter across the Kaziranga-Lawkhowa-Burhachapuri floodplain complex, an official said on Wednesday.
An official at Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve said the findings reaffirm that the landscape is one of the most important wintering waterbird concentrations in the Brahmaputra Valley and an important node within the Central Asian migratory route.
The main species documented include grazing waterfowl, wet ducks, diving ducks, marsh specialists, waders, storks, cormorants, and fish-eating birds of prey, reflecting the presence of perennial deep-sea birds, shallow mudflats, vegetated swamps, and riparian corridors within the continuous floodplain matrix.
Migrating geese made up a large portion of the total abundance, with 19,133 bar-headed geese and 6,533 grilage geese recorded, together representing more than 25,000 birds.
He said large numbers of Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Ferruginous Pochard, Lesser Whistling Duck and Gray-headed Swamphen were also recorded.
This estimate comfortably exceeds the record of 20,000 waterbirds, which is often cited in the Ramsar 5 standard for designating wetlands of international importance, the official noted.
The survey also documented species of global conservation concern, including threatened species such as Leptoptilos dubius and Haliaeetus leucoryphus.
Vulnerable species such as the Lesser Adjutant and near-threatened species, including the Ferruginous Pochard and the Oriental Darter, have also been recorded.
Many of these species are also protected under various schedules of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, reinforcing statutory conservation obligations at a national level.
The survey noted that major wetlands such as Rowmari Beel and Donduwa Beel served as major aggregation centres, while wetlands within the Agoratoli and Bagori ranges, including Sohola and associated beels, contributed significantly to the abundance and diversity of species.
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