Birds are excellent indicators of the state of our natural world. This year’s State of India’s Birds report, which was recently released, highlights 942 bird species that need conservation priority. Of these, 178 classified as High Conservation Priority and 14 species. Surprisingly the Indian Roller, or called the palapitta in Telugu or the Blue Jay, has been recommended for International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List reassessment. The palapitta (also known as the Blue Jay) is Telangana’s state bird and sighting it on Dasara day is considered auspicious.
The State of India’s Birds report is a periodic assessment of the distribution range, trends in abundance, and conservation status for most of the bird species in the country. This comprehensive, national-level assessment report — based on observations, observation trends and distribution by over 30,000 birdwatchers from across the country — points the way towards the conservation needs of India’s birds.
