A compilation of harrier roosts in India suggests that the wintering populations of these migrant birds of prey have declined between 1985 and 2015. “Harrier roost counts have shown a…
Chinese manjha – a synthetic kite string coated in glass or metal – was banned across India in 2017. But every year conservation organisations continue to rescue thousands of birds…
"When some visitors ask ‘how do the birds know this lake is full’, I simply tell them that I telephone the migratory birds and inform them,” said Ramesh mockingly as…
Woodlands in agricultural fields surrounding a protected area maintain functionality of a wintering bird community, according to a recent study. Agriculture is usually considered to be harmful to biodiversity as…
2018 is the year of our beginning, the year when we took our baby steps to start covering conservation and environment news from India. Though we formally launched on January…
The plateau of Chalkewadi in the Satara district of Maharashtra is a wide and open landscape. “One can see for miles on end,” says Amod Zambre. In the wee hours…
Acres after acres of land, developed into fruit orchards of different kinds, break the wiry brown monotony of the Kutch landscape in Gujarat. This ‘transformation’ of the semi-arid land has…
A citizen science project to monitor hornbill population in India, Hornbill Watch, is gaining momentum among the bird enthusiasts and researchers in the country. With the aim of assessing the…
Bird diversity and numbers could be the ideal ‘canary in the mine’, giving information about how habitats are faring in urban areas, feels Aasheesh Pittie, editor of the bi-monthly journal,…
The dance of Chartses, a mating jig of the black-necked crane, is an important feature of every cultural programme or festival in Ladakh where the bird is revered among the…
Popular among trekking and hiking enthusiasts, the Khangchendzonga National Park (KNP) in Sikkim is the starting point for several stunning trails, taking explorers up and through a dizzying variety of…
As the birds returned to their roosts on a warm evening, a motley group of young people gather for a meeting in the Thekinkkad Maidan in Thrissur city of central…
Despite the high altitudes and harsh winters, the Himalayas are a global biodiversity hotspot, home to 10 percent of the world’s bird species. But expanding human populations in the Himalayas…
Uttarakhand has 656 bird species, among the highest in India as recorded on eBird, an online database where birders from around the world update their bird observations in real time.…
Malaria affects millions of people across the globe. It also hurts birds. Researchers are now breaking new ground on avian malaria studies in the Himalayas where bird species are targeted…
The arrival of monsoon rains in India is an annual milestone for the country. The blustery winds, loaded skies and torrential rains are signs of a good year not just…
Community-led conservation initiatives from northeast India were in the spotlight at this year’s India Biodiversity Awards. Community reserves managed by Singchung Bugun Village Community Reserve Management Committee in Arunachal Pradesh…
After a two-year long effort, a team of researchers from IISER-Bhopal has been able to sequence the genome of India’s national bird, the peacock (Pavo cristatus). Knowledge of the genome…
In his 1895 book, The Valley of Kashmir, Sir Walter Lawrence, who served in the Indian Civil Service in British India and was posted as the Settlement Commissioner of Kashmir,…
Hundreds of Egyptian vultures — an endangered scavenger — flock to India in October where they spend the winter voraciously feasting on the plentiful supply of livestock carcasses at a…