India records 1,036 species for backyard bird count third highest globally.

Tags: National News

Why in the news?

• Birding enthusiasts from allover the country documented 1,036 species for the Global Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) 2024.

Important points:

• The backyard bird count happens every year, usually over a four-day period in February.
•  It allows participants to tally birds in diverse locations, ranging from their own backyards to local parks and nature reserves. 
• This year, it took place from February 16-19, 2024, according to a press release from Bird Count India, a coalition of birding organisations and groups. 
• Indian bird enthusiasts celebrated their 12th consecutive year of participation in the GBBC this time.
• India submitted the second-highest number of checklists and the third-highest species among all participating countries. 
• Over the four days, Indian birdwatchers contributed over 61,000 checklists and documented 1,036 bird species on an online platform eBird. 
• The United States submitted themost number of checklists — 172,025 — showed preliminary results from the count.
• Following India, Canada had the third highest number of checklists at 25,420. Colombia (1,363) and Equador (1,130) submitted the most species. 
• This is the first GBBC where birders from all states and Union territories participated.
• Kerala recorded the highest number of checklists (14,023), followed by Tamil Nadu (13,661) and Maharashtra (5,725). 
• West Bengal reported the highest number of species (538), followed by Uttarakhand (426) and Assam (420).