84,839 birds in Assam's Kaziranga, new census finds

News Excerpt:

The number of birds counted during the 5th bird Census conducted in and around Kaziranga on January 9 and 10 was 27% more than in 2022.

About the 5th bird Census:

  • There are nearly 200 wetlands in and around Kaziranga, and the bird census was conducted in 115 of them, falling under three divisions -
    • The Eastern Assam Wildlife Division
      • It comprised mostly of the Kaziranga National Park area, recorded 37,606 birds.
    • The Nagaon Wildlife Division
    • The Biswanath Wildlife Division
  • The census recorded 84,839 birds, pushing the Kaziranga National Park among the country's top five tourist destinations for birds.
    • The number of birds counted increased by 27% than the number counted in 2022.
    • About 80% of the birds were migratory.
  • Some of the species reported in the new census include -
    • Baer’s Pochard (IUCN status - Critically Endangered)
    • Baikal Teal
    • Greater Scaup
    • Gull-billed Tern
    • Greater-white Fronted Goose
    • Great-crested Grebe
    • Pallas’s Gull
    • Black Stork
    • Black-Headed Gull
    • Cotton Pygmy Goose
    • Bengal Florican (IUCN status - Critically Endangered)
    • Swamp Francolin (IUCN status - Vulnerable)
  • Odisha's Chilika Lake tops the list with over 10.74 lakh birds, followed by Kaziranga, Rajasthan's Bharatpur (25,000), Najafgarh jheel in Delhi (10,239) and Gujarat's Nalsarovar (7,099).
    • In terms of size and number, Kaziranga is second to Chilika. Species-wise, however, Bharatpur tops the list.
  • The recent e-Bird database found 603 bird species in and around Kaziranga.

Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve (KNPTR):

  • It is located in Golaghat, Nagaon and Sonitpur districts of Assam.
  • It is the oldest park in Assam and covers an area of 430 sq km along the river Brahmaputra in the north and the Karbi Anglong hills in the south.
  • National Highway 37 passes through the park area and tea estates, hemmed by table-top tea bushes.
  • It is inhabited by the world's largest population of one-horned rhinoceroses (2,613 according to 2023 Census).
    • It is also known for the "BIG FIVE" mammals: one-horned rhinos, tigers, elephants, Asiatic wild buffalos, and eastern swamp deer.
  • It was declared a National Park in 1974.
    • In 1985, UNESCO declared Kaziranga National Park a World Heritage Site.
    • Over time, the tiger population also increased in Kaziranga, and that’s the reason Kaziranga was declared a Tiger Reserve in 2006.

 

 

Prelims PYQ

Q. Consider the following pairs: (UPSC 2013)

National Park River flowing through the Park

  1. Corbett National Park : Ganga
  2. Kaziranga National Park : Manas
  3. Silent Valley National Park : Kaveri

Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched?

(a) 1 and 2

(b) 3 only

(c) 1 and 3

(d) None

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