A comprehensive study spanning three decades has found that a staggering 60 per cent of the 338 bird species under scrutiny in India have faced a significant decline in their numbers. This assessment emerges from the data collected from approximately 30,000 dedicated birdwatchers across the country, and is detailed in the recently released report titled ‘State of India's Birds’. A total of 942 species were evaluated, and long-term trends were analysed for 338 of them.

The report underscores that within the span of just seven years, 40 per cent (142) of the 359 evaluated species have witnessed a disturbing decline. This decline is especially pronounced among raptors, migratory shorebirds and ducks. Equally alarming is the observation that avian inhabitants of open ecosystems, rivers and coasts, which are vital habitats for numerous species, have been disproportionately impacted.

The causes behind this distressing phenomenon are multifaceted and complex. Urbanisation, rapid infrastructural development, environmental pollutants, and the growing effects of climate change have emerged as the major culprits.

Here are the major threats:

1) One of the biggest reasons for this drastic decline, according to the report, can be attributed to climate change. The Earth's temperature has risen by more than 1 degree Celsius since the era before industries dominated the landscape.

Because of climate change, birds find themselves grappling with challenges in their reproduction and survival. This arises from disruptions in their natural schedules, as significant yearly events such as breeding, nest-building and migration are no longer synchronised as they once were. The consequences of these mismatches are far-reaching. Birds and their prey, like insects, are falling out of step. This can result in lower chances of survival and reduced breeding success. Additionally, these disparities might lead to intense competition among different species, causing detrimental effects on the overall bird populations.

2) Another big reason is Monoculture, which means growing only one type of seed in a field. The trend of creating big plantations to grow a single crop like rubber, coffee or tea has gained traction in India. The report said that from 2003 to 2020, the size of tea plantations grew from 5,214 square kilometres to 6,366 square kilometres. Apart from that, oil palm plantations are growing in places like Andaman and Nicobar Islands, as well as the north-eastern Himalayas.

These big plantations are detrimental to birds. The report points out that commercial monoculture plantations end up having fewer types of birds compared to natural forests in the same area. The reason? Since there’s only one type of crop, it can't provide all the different things that birds need to survive and thrive.

3) The areas in India that are most developed and urbanised actually have the fewest types of birds, particularly those that eat insects, as revealed by the report. This is because as cities expand, they take away the natural homes of birds and expose them to more dirty air and high temperatures.

But it's not just that – cities also have a lot of noise from cars and machines. This means birds have to sing louder or even change the way they communicate. In some really bad cases, the creatures might even have to leave the habitat. On top of that, the bright lights in cities mess with their sense of direction, and sometimes they accidentally crash into buildings.

All these issues add up, and because there's not enough food in cities for all types of birds, only the ones that are good at dealing with these challenges, like house crows and feral rock pigeons, can survive there.

4) In countries like India, concerns about the climate crisis have led to a rise in the use of wind turbines, which can be found in various types of landscapes. Even though wind turbines are considered environmentally friendly, they have posed a new challenge for birds, as highlighted in the report. A significant number of bird species have died due to collisions with these spinning turbines.

The report also mentions that the power transmission lines associated with these turbines have caused the deaths of numerous larger bird species. Additionally, many smaller birds have been electrocuted. The report provides evidence that more than 60 bird species from 33 different families in India have been negatively impacted by these collisions and electrocutions caused by power lines.

(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)