Summary

On Saturday, 14 May 2022, birders from every state and union territory of India joined together to celebrate Endemic Bird Day. A total of 1,078 eBirders went out to look for endemic (and other) species on this day and uploaded 4,139 bird lists! In all, 835 species were recorded on this single day, of which 151 are endemic to S. Asia. 

This was also the day when the Himalayan regions of India, Nepal, and Bhutan celebrated the 1st Himalayan Bird Count. See results here. Also, on this day was the Global Big Day– a worldwide event where birders across many countries put effort to clock as many species as possible in a single 24-hour period. More than 117 new eBirders in India participated in these events which is 28% more than last year. 

The most frequently reported top 10 non-endemic species were on 34% of lists on average but the most frequently reported top 10 endemic species reported were in only 10% of lists.

Below are screenshots of the top 10 states and union territories in terms of total species and lists uploaded on 14 May 2022:

As on 21-7-2022 from eBird.org.

It was heartening to see lists come from all kinds of habitats- from mountains, and rainforests to grasslands, deserts, and more.

As on 21-7-2022 from eBird.org. The number of checklists shown differs from that used for analysis.

Click on the following maps to see how each state, union territory, and district did in terms of lists, species, and participants. (N.B. These maps are best viewed on a computer)

EBD 2022 State/ UT coverage

EBD 2022 District coverage

What were the most common species seen in each region during this Endemic Bird Day?

In the map below, in each of the regions (except south), at least one species of bulbul made it to the top 5 common species. In the Himalayas, Himalayan Bulbul was amongst the top 5, in Andaman & Nicobar islands it was Red-whiskered Bulbul with the highest reporting frequency. Red-vented Bulbul remained in the top 5 only in the east and west. Common Myna remained amongst the top 5 most common species in all regions except the west. It is interesting to note that this is similar to GBBC 2022 results where this species was frequently reported in all regions except the west and the islands. The Feral Pigeon which is thought to be the most abundant species across the country did not make it in the top 5 in the central, east, and the islands. 

We hope you enjoyed participating in this Endemic Bird Day and see you again next year. In the meantime, keep birding and uploading your lists to better document and monitor our wild birds!

Bird Monitoring in India

• Visit the Bird Count India website
• Join the Facebook group

Contact Bird Count India at [email protected]

What Next?

Endemic Bird Day will be back on 13 May 2023.

In the meantime, keep eBirding and monitoring birds!

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Header Image: White-naped Tit (White-winged Tit) Machlolophus nuchalis © Parth Kansara/ Macaulay Library