Bird Species Documented in Thiruvananthapuram

• Event Overview: The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is an annual global citizen science initiative, held from February 13 to 16, focused on bird observation and documentation.

• Observations:

  • A total of 238 bird species were documented in Thiruvananthapuram district during the event.
  • Endemic species documented included:
    • Grey-fronted Green-Pigeon
    • Malabar Imperial-Pigeon
    • Malabar Grey Hornbill
    • Malabar Flameback
    • Malabar Parakeet
    • Malabar Woodshrike
    • Malabar Starling
    • Nilgiri Flowerpecker
  • Notable migratory birds observed:
    • Indian Pitta
    • Indian Golden Oriole
    • Ashy Drongo
    • Indian Paradise Flycatcher
    • Brown Shrike
    • Orange-headed Thrush
    • Asian Brown Flycatcher
    • Brown-breasted Flycatcher
    • Blue-throated Flycatcher
    • Blyth’s Reed Warbler
    • Rosy Starling

• Participation:

  • Approximately 125 volunteer birders participated in the documentation, contributing a total of 1,160 individual observations.
  • The initiative included a specialized sub-event, the Campus Bird Count (CBC), coordinated by WWF-India, which engaged 110 birders across 11 educational and institutional campuses.

• Purpose of CBC: The Campus Bird Count (CBC) is designed to promote grassroots collaboration among educational institutions. It encourages participants to observe and document bird species within their campuses and record findings on global citizen science platforms.

• Leadership and Coordination:

  • A.K. Sivakumar, Senior Education Officer at WWF-India, served as the GBBC coordinator for Thiruvananthapuram district.
  • Renjan Mathew Varghese, WWF-India State Director, also played a key role in the initiative.

• Significance: The GBBC promotes awareness of biodiversity and contributes to global efforts in wildlife conservation through citizen participation and data collection.

• Environmental Impact: Such initiatives contribute significantly to understanding bird populations, migratory patterns, and overall biodiversity health in the region, vital for ecological balance and conservation strategies.

This event underscores the vital role of citizen science in supporting environmental research and conservation efforts on both local and global scales.