Guwahati: A first-of-its-kind survey has reinforced Kaziranga’s status as one of Asia’s most important landscapes for birds of prey and wetland birds, documenting an impressive diversity of threatened raptors and storks across the protected area and its adjoining wildlife divisions.
The survey, conducted by the Kaziranga Tiger Reserve authority in collaboration with researchers from universities in Assam, recorded 30 species of raptors and six species of storks during fieldwork carried out between February and March this year. The findings were released on World Environment Day.
Researchers counted 217 individual raptors and 266 individual storks across the Eastern Assam Wildlife Division, Biswanath Wildlife Division and Nagaon Wildlife Division, underscoring the region’s significance as a refuge for some of the subcontinent’s most threatened bird species.
Among the species recorded were the Critically Endangered Slender-billed Vulture and Greater Adjutant, the Endangered Red-headed Vulture and Pallas’s Fish Eagle, as well as the Greater Spotted Eagle, Lesser Adjutant and Black-necked Stork.
The survey found that the Kaziranga landscape supports nearly half of India’s known raptor diversity.
Of the 112 species of birds of prey recorded in the country, around 50 have been documented from the greater Kaziranga landscape. The area is also home to six of the eight stork species found in India.
Kaziranga National Park emerged as the most species-rich area, recording 21 raptor species and five stork species.
Biswanath Wildlife Division followed closely with 20 raptor species and six stork species, while Nagaon Wildlife Division recorded 14 raptor species and five stork species.
One of the survey’s most significant findings relates to the endangered Pallas’s Fish Eagle, a species facing rapid declines across its global range.
Previous studies by the Wildlife Institute of India documented 10 active nests in Kaziranga, making the protected area one of the most important known breeding sites for the species.
The survey also highlighted a remarkable migratory connection between Assam and Central Asia. A male Pallas’s Fish Eagle tagged in Mongolia in 2020 has returned to Kaziranga every year to breed, travelling thousands of kilometres between Mongolia and Assam.
Among the storks, the Asian Openbill was the most frequently encountered species, with 92 sightings, while the Greater Adjutant was the rarest, recorded only three times. The Himalayan Griffon was the most abundant raptor, whereas the Booted Eagle and White-tailed Eagle were each recorded only once.
Officials said the findings would help guide future conservation planning, particularly efforts to protect nesting habitats, wetlands and floodplains that support these species.
The survey also identified threats such as powerline collisions and electrocution, highlighting the need for targeted mitigation measures and stronger habitat protection.
While Kaziranga is globally renowned for its populations of the one-horned rhinoceros, tiger and wild buffalo, the latest survey highlights another dimension of its biodiversity value — its role as a vital sanctuary for some of South Asia’s rarest birds of prey and wetland-dependent species.
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