Kaziranga, June 5: For many years, Kaziranga has been referred to as the land of the one-horned rhinoceros. But, for a lot of its historical past, the park’s significance as a haven for birds remained overshadowed by its bigger and extra celebrated residents.
A brand new survey is now bringing that hidden story into focus.
A complete evaluation of storks and raptors carried out by the Kaziranga Tiger Reserve Authority in collaboration with analysis students from Assam universities has revealed that the Kaziranga panorama helps nearly 45 per cent of India’s recorded raptor species, making it one of the nation’s most essential strongholds for birds of prey.
The survey, carried out between February and March throughout all administrative ranges of the Jap Assam Wildlife Division, documented 30 species of raptors represented by 217 particular person birds, together with six species of storks represented by 266 particular person birds.
What makes the findings exceptional is their nationwide significance.
India is residence to 112 recorded species of raptors. Whereas the survey documented 30 species in the course of the examine interval, the broader Kaziranga panorama is thought to help nearly 50 species of birds of prey. In different phrases, nearly half of India’s raptor variety is concentrated inside a single conservation panorama.
The survey additionally recorded six of India’s eight stork species, additional underscoring the ecological significance of the Brahmaputra floodplains.
There are compelling the explanation why this nook of Assam has turn out to be such a refuge.
Located on the assembly level of in depth wetlands, seasonal floodplains, tall riverine forests and the Himalayan foothills, Kaziranga provides a rare vary of habitats. The mosaic of grasslands, water our bodies and nesting websites offers excellent circumstances for resident birds in addition to migratory species that journey 1000’s of kilometres throughout Asia.
Consequently, the panorama has emerged as a sanctuary for some of the continent’s most threatened birds.
Among the many raptors recorded have been the Pallas’s Fish Eagle, Larger Noticed Eagle, Gray-headed Fish Eagle, Steppe Eagle, Slender-billed Vulture, Purple-headed Vulture, Brown Fish Owl and Dusky Eagle-Owl. The storks included the Larger Adjutant, Lesser Adjutant, Black-necked Stork, Black Stork and Asian Openbill.
Many of these species are experiencing declines throughout their world ranges, making the wetlands and floodplains of Kaziranga more and more essential for his or her survival.
Notably noteworthy is the Pallas’s Fish Eagle, an endangered species whose numbers have declined throughout a lot of Asia.
Based on the survey, Kaziranga helps the very best recognized focus of nesting websites for the species in India. Earlier research by the Wildlife Institute of India documented at the least ten lively nests throughout the panorama, suggesting that the park might signify one of essentially the most vital breeding grounds for the species anyplace on this planet.
The story turns into much more fascinating when considered by the lens of migration.
Researchers from the Wildlife Science and Conservation Middle of Mongolia beforehand tagged a Pallas’s Fish Eagle named Ider at Buuntsagaan Lake in Central Western Mongolia. The hen has since returned to Kaziranga yr after yr, travelling 1000’s of kilometres throughout worldwide boundaries to breed, highlighting the park’s function in an unlimited ecological community that stretches from Central Asia to the Brahmaputra Valley.
The survey additionally revealed essential variations throughout divisions.
Kaziranga Nationwide Park recorded the very best variety, with 21 species of raptors and 5 species of storks, adopted intently by Biswanath Wildlife Division, which recorded 20 species of raptors and 6 species of storks. Nagaon Wildlife Division recorded 14 species of raptors and 5 species of storks.
Among the many storks, the Asian Openbill emerged as essentially the most plentiful species with 92 sightings, whereas the critically endangered Larger Adjutant was among the many rarest, with solely three people recorded.
Among the many raptors, the Himalayan Griffon was essentially the most generally sighted species with 69 data. The Booted Eagle and White-tailed Eagle have been the rarest sightings, with only one particular person every documented in the course of the survey.
Wildlife authorities say the findings additional strengthen Kaziranga’s standing as one of India’s most essential conservation landscapes.
“Raptors and storks occupy the highest ranges of the meals chain throughout wetland, floodplain and forest ecosystems. Their presence and inhabitants traits are robust indicators of ecosystem well being,” mentioned Kaziranga Wildlife Warden Rathindranath Dutta.
The survey has additionally highlighted key conservation priorities, together with safety of nesting websites, preservation of floodplain habitats, mitigation of power-line electrocution dangers, continued telemetry research and stronger worldwide cooperation for migratory species.
The findings reveal a aspect of Kaziranga that’s usually overshadowed by its world-famous rhinos.
If the grasslands under helped make Kaziranga a world conservation icon, the skies above are telling an equally extraordinary story — one during which nearly half of India’s raptor species share a single panorama within the coronary heart of the Brahmaputra floodplains.
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