Himalayan Bird Count 2025

New: Join us for a special Himalayan Bird ID Webinar — an interactive session where a panel of birders experienced in Himalayan species will take on your most puzzling identification questions. Click here for details.

The Himalayan Bird Count is an initiative by Bird Count India, Bird Conservation Nepal, and Royal Society for Protection of Nature, Bhutan. This annual event tracks bird populations across the Himalayan regions to contribute valuable data for conservation efforts. The 4th edition of Himalayan Bird Count is on Saturday, 10 May 2025!

How to participate

• Observe and Count birds from anywhere in the listed Himalayan regions on 10th May 2025
• Upload checklists through the eBird Mobile App
• Ensure each list is at least 15 minutes in duration (15 minutes is ideal for year-to-year comparability)
• Create multiple checklists throughout the day – from midnight to midnight
• Upload complete checklists with counts (no “X” entries) of all birds you identify by sight and/or sound

General Instructions

• Counts will be more productive early in the morning, with birds generally becoming quiet and inactive during the middle of the day.
• You could also upload as many counts as you can from a single site or from different sites.
• If you are uploading your lists to eBird then the eBird mobile app is one of the easiest ways to upload your sightings.
• Due to the steep elevation gradient in the Himalaya, we recommend counting birds at one spot (eBird protocol ‘Stationary’), and then moving to the next spot for your next list. This avoids mixing of species from different altitudes in the same list.
• If you are new to eBird, then do have a look at the list of short videos on using various eBird features. 
• Consider taking groups of people birding and show them the wonders of nature.

Please upload all your lists by 10 June 2025

Participating Regions

• Countries
  • Bhutan (Partner: Royal Society for Protection of Nature)
  • Nepal (Partner: Bird Conservation Nepal)
  • India (Partner: Bird Count India Collective)
• Indian States/Regions
  • Ladakh
  • Jammu & Kashmir
  • Himachal Pradesh
  • Uttarakhand
  • North Bengal
  • Sikkim
  • Arunachal Pradesh

Contacts for Himalayan Bird Count

Bhutan
Tshering Tobgay (RSPN) — tsheringtobgay2@gmail.com | +975 17909676 (WhatsApp)

Nepal
Ishana Thapa (BCN) — ishana.thapa@gmail.com
Ankit Bilash Joshi (BCN) — ankitbilashjoshi@gmail.com
Yubin Shrestha — yubinshrestha@gmail.com | +977 98493 27473 (WhatsApp)
Shankar Tiwari — +977 98510 45205 (WhatsApp)
Krishna Bhusal — krishna.biologist@gmail.com | +977 98419 59902 (WhatsApp)

India
Mittal Gala (Bird Count India) — +91 90242 82778 (WhatsApp)

Ladakh
Padma Gyatso — +91 96221 17968 (WhatsApp)

Jammu & Kashmir
Kashmir: Irfan Jeelani — +91 70062 80345 (WhatsApp)
Jammu: Muzaffar Kichloo — +91 96972 77711 (WhatsApp)
Jammu: Parmil Kumar — +91 94191 59608 (WhatsApp)

Himachal Pradesh
Lakshminarasimha Ranganathan — narasimha.rl@hotmail.com

Uttarakhand
Ghazala Shahabuddin — ghazala303@gmail.com
Sanjay Sondhi — sanjay.sondhi1@gmail.com | +91 94120 52189 (WhatsApp)

North Bengal
Details coming soon

Sikkim
Sunita Khatiwara — sunitakhatiwara@gmail.com | +91 89000 84918
Dibyendu Ash — +91 96814 17974 (WhatsApp)

Arunachal Pradesh
Koj Mama — +91 85752 48013 (WhatsApp)

Useful Links

• Webinar Recording on Identifying Himalayan Leaf Warblers 
• Himalayan Bird Count 2024 Results
• Himalayan Bird Count 2023 Results
• Himalayan Bird Count 2022 Results
• About Himalayan Bird Count

For further queries, email: skimmer@birdcount.in

Banner Image: Himalayan Bluetail (Orange-flanked Bush-Robin) Tarsiger rufilatus © Abhiram Sankar/ Macaulay Library