75 Endemic Birds of India publication

• A publication, titled ‘75 Endemic Birds of India’, was recently released on the 108th foundation day of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI).

Major findings

• About 5% of birds found in the country are endemic and are not reported in other parts of the world.
• India is home to 1,353 bird species, which represents approximately 12.40% of global bird diversity. Of these, 78 (5%) are endemic to the country.
• Of the 78 species, three species have not been recorded in the last few decades. They are
  • the Manipur Bush Quail (Perdicula manipurensis), listed as ‘Endangered’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species with its last recorded sighting in 1907;
  • the Himalayan Quail (Ophrysia superciliosa), listed as ‘Critically Endangered’ with its last recorded sighting in 1876; and
  • the Jerdon’s Courser (Rhinoptilus bitorquatus), listed as ‘Critically Endangered’ with its last confirmed sighting in 2009.
• The publication points out that the 75 bird species belong to 11 different orders, 31 families, and 55 genera, and exhibit remarkable distribution patterns across various regions in India.
• The highest number of endemic species have been recorded in the Western Ghats, with 28 bird species. These include-
  • Malabar Grey Hornbill; Malabar Parakeet; Ashambu Laughing Thrush; and the White-bellied Sholakili.
• 25 bird species are endemic to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
  • Endemism in the Andaman group of islands must have developed because of the geographical isolation of the region.
  • Some interesting bird species which are only found in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are Nicobar Megapode; Nicobar Serpent Eagle; Andaman Crake; and Andaman Barn Owl.
• Four species of birds are endemic to the Eastern Himalayas, and one each to the Southern Deccan plateau and central Indian forest.
• Of the 78 endemic species–
  • 25 are classified as ‘Threatened’ by the IUCN.
  • 3 species (Bugun Liocichla; Himalayan Quail; Jerdon’s Courser) are listed as ‘Critically Endangered’.
  • 5 species as ‘Endangered’, and
  • 17 as ‘Vulnerable’, while
  • 11 are categorised as ‘Near Threatened’ on the IUCN Red List.