Assam: 96 species of birds found in Deepor Beel on outskirts of Guwahati

Guwahati: In the latest bird count at Deepor Beel in Guwahati, a total of 96 species and 26,747 birds were found to be living at the Ramsar Site.

On the morning of January 4, 2023, the Guwahati Wildlife Division with its annual Bird Count in Deepor Beel along with the Spot Bird Photography contest found 26,747 and 96 species of birds.

Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!

The entire wetland was divided into 9 areas where nine groups conducted the bird count on foot as well as via country boats. The methodology adopted was the Visual Encounter Survey.

In total 37 participants were part of the exercise. The participants comprised bird experts, student volunteers, members of NGOs and Forest officials of the Assam Forest department.

Also Read: Assam: Earthful Foundation initiate E-waste collection, awareness drive in Guwahati

Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!

Eminent Ornithologist Dr Anwaruddin Choudhury was also present during the Bird Count. 

“This Bird Count exercise of January 2023 in the only Ramsar site of Assam revealed greater species diversity and also increase in the total bird count as compared to 2021’s record of 66 bird species and total bird count of 10289”, a statement read.

List of Birds Recorded in Deepor Beel:

Sl. No.	English Name	Total
1	Common Pochard	2234
2	Cotton Pygmy Geese	103
3	Greylag Geese	237
4	Lesser Whistling Duck	3901
5	Ruddy Shelduck	4
6	Common Teal	9
7	Ferrugineous Pochard	2544
8	Gadwall	891
9	Northern Pintail	650
10	Northern Shoveller	148
11	Tufted Duck	100
12	Fulvous Whistling Duck	65
13	Red Crested Pochard	169
14	Greater Adjutant Stork	78
15	Lesser Adjutant Stork	11
16	Asian Openbill	122
17	great crested grebe	35
18	Little  grebe	78
19	Glossy Ibis	340
20	Cattle Egret	670
21	Little Egret	5
22	Intermediate Egret	75
23	Great Egret	44
24	Grey Heron	4
25	Purple Heron	26
26	Indian Pond Heron	62
27	Oriental Darter	3
28	Great Cormorant	15
29	Little Cormorant	451
30	Booted Eagle	2
31	Eurasian Coot	1500
32	Purple Swamphen	358
33	Little Ringed Plover	5
34	Grey-headed Lapwing	87
35	Northern Lapwing	128
36	Red-wattled Lapwing	31
37	Black-winged Stilt	564
38	Bronge-winged Jacana	37
39	Pheasant-tailed Jacana	47
40	wood sandpiper	41
41	Green Sandpiper	8
42	Sandpiper u/k	1
43	Common Sandpiper	6
44	Common Redshank	4
45	Common Greenshank	12
46	Pied Kingfisher	3
47	White-breasted Kingfisher	19
48	Barn Swallow	6961
49	Citrine Wagtail	135
50	Rosy Pipit	3
51	Osprey	2
52	Siberian Stone Chat	15
53	Black Drongo	30
54	Black Kite	100
55	unknown pipit	2
56	Richard Pipit	1
57	Rosy Pipit	211
58	Paddyfield Pipit	19
59	Asian Pied starling	44
60	Brown shrike	12
61	Common Kestrel	2
62	Chestnut Tailed Starling	22
63	Striated Grassbird	15
64	Blyth’s Reed Warbler	1
65	Clamorous Reed Warbler	3
66	Jungle Mynah	56
67	spotted dove	3
68	Plain Prinia	7
69	Indian Cormorant	1
70	Great Cormorant	3
71	Blyth’s Reed Warbler	5
72	Dusky Warbler	6
73	common tailor bird	5
74	Red Vented Bulbul	4
75	Great Mynah	2
76	common mynah	4
77	ruddy breasted crake	1
78	Sand Martin/Bank Swallow	1
79	Grey Throated Martin	8
80	Asian Palm Swift	8
81	wood swallow	2
82	brown-headed seagull	26
83	greenish warbler	1
84	White Wagtail	10
85	black-tailed godwit	1
86	Temminck’s Stint	30
87	Siberian Rubythroat	1
88	Bengal Bushlark	2
89	Black Headed Oriole	1
90	Eurasian Hoop	3
91	Oriental Honey Buzzard	2
92	Ashy Wood Swallow	2
93	Crow	12
94	Zitting Cisticola	1
95	Eurasian Tree Sparrow	26
96	long-tailed Shrike	8
97	small pratincole	3000
	Grand Total	26747

Along with the bird count exercise, a spot bird photography contest was also organised. 

Also Read: Assam | ‘Inter-Club Golf Tournament: The BORBHAG Cup’ on January 8 at 4 Corps in Tezpur

Divisional Forest Officer Jayashree Naiding stated that this is the second consecutive year of bird count exercise conducted by the Guwahati Wildlife Division. 

She thanked all Volunteers for active participation in the documentation of the Avifauna of the only Ramsar site of Assam.