Diversity: Sunderban Bird Festival records 31,927 birds, 154 species in third edition

Kolkata: The third edition of the Sunderban Bird Festival recorded 31,927 birds of 154 species.

The findings of the three-day exercise, held in January, were released on Thursday in the presence of state Forest minister Birbaha Hansda, Principal Secretary Debal Roy, and senior officials of the Sundarban Tiger Reserve and South 24-Parganas forest division.

The survey noted 13 threatened species, including the Eurasian Curlew, Brown-winged Kingfisher, Black-capped Kingfisher, Grey Plover, Lesser Sand Plover, Terek Sandpiper, Common Redshank, Brown-headed Gull, Black-headed Gull, Common Tern, Lesser Adjutant, Great Knot and Osprey.

Conducted from January 23 to 25 with six teams and 40 birders, the exercise found 51 migratory and 103 resident species in the delta. By region, the Matla forests recorded 108 species, Kalas 95, and Sajnekhali 64—the lowest. In the National Park areas, 81 species were recorded in the west and 70 in the east, while Basirhat reported 73. A total of 100 species were observed in the core area, 90 in the buffer and 129 beyond protected zones, close to human habitations. In terms of groups, the survey identified seven kingfisher species, 48 mudflat birds (including seven waterfowls), 11 raptors and 87 forest birds.

The first Sunderban Bird Festival in 2023 had logged 5,065 birds across 145 species. In 2024, the number of species fell to 135 but the bird count rose to 8,886.

On Thursday, the minister also dedicated two aluminium speed boats for protection of the tiger reserve.