Context:
Recently, India recorded 1,036 species for backyard bird count with 3rd highest globally
Global Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC):
- A citizen-driven scientific project
- Launched in – USA (in 1998)
- Was initially restricted to only USA
- Aim – Counting and reporting the details of birds in the area of their neighborhood
- An initiative of Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society of USA
- In 2013, it took the global stage turning into a global bird census
GBBC India:
- An Indian implementation of the GBBC, which runs for 4 days every February
- Indian birders have participated in the GBBC since the event went worldwide in 2013
- Coordinated by – Bird Count India collective
- A coming-together of a number of groups and organisations that are interested in birds, nature and conservation
This time, Indian bird enthusiasts celebrated their 12th consecutive year of participation in the GBBC
e-bird:
- An online database of birds with online real-time data about abundance and distribution
- Started in – 2002
- Initially restricted to western hemisphere only
- Geographical extension grew over time and got a global status in 2010
GBBC 2024:
- 1st GBBC where birders from all states and Union territories participated
- India submitted 2nd highest number of checklists and the 3rd highest species among all participating countries.
- Kerala – highest number of checklists (14,023), followed by Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra
- West Bengal – highest number of species (538), followed by Uttarakhand and Assam
Some restricted-range species spotted by Indian birders this year are:
Kerala Bird Atlas (KBA):
- An ambitious citizen science project
- Aim – To map the distribution and abundance of birds in an entire Indian state
- It is the 1st time such an atlas is being prepared
- A group of birdwatchers, in 2015, took up the challenge as a 5 -year activity (2015 to 2020)
- Collaborators –NGOs (WWF India’s Kerala State Office and many others), government departments and many individual experts
- During this period, bird surveys were conducted twice a year
- Covering 2 seasons – Mid-July to mid-September (wet season) and mid-January to mid-March (dry season)
Source: Down to Earth
Previous Year Question
If you walk through the countryside, you are likely to see some birds stalking alongside the cattle to seize the insects disturbed by their movement through grasses. Which of the following is/are such bird/birds?
1. Painted Stork
2. Common Myna
3. Black-necked Crane
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2014 Prelims]
(a) 1 and 2
(b) 2 only
(c) 2 and 3
(d) 3 only
Answer: (b)
Explanation:
Option 1 is not correct:
Painted Stork is a fish-eating bird thus does not feed on insects
Option 3 is not correct:
Black-necked Crane is found in the Trans-Himalayan region and around Arunachal Pradesh and Ladakh.
