3.42 lakh migratory birds spotted in Odisha's Hirakud reservoir

SAMBALPUR: Over 3.42 lakh migratory birds visited Hirakud reservoir in Odisha's Sambalpur district this winter compared to 3.16 lakh avian guests last year, officials said. After conducting a bird census covering an area of 500 sqkm, a senior forest official said 342,345 birds from 113 species, including 20 new ones, were spotted in the reservoir this winter.

The three most abundant bird species were the tufted duck (52,516), lesser whistling duck (49,259), and red-crested pochard (33,436), said Anshu Pragyan Das, DFO of the Hirakud wildlife division.

The 20 newly sighted species include the glossy ibis, black bittern, green sandpiper, common snipe, red-rumped swallow, white wagtail, and Siberian stonechat.


The annual waterfowl census for 2024 in the Hirakud Reservoir area was conducted by the Hirakud Wildlife Division on January 8, involving a total of 78 participants, including 33 birding experts, who surveyed Sambalpur, Bargarh, and Jharsuguda districts.

Each year, thousands of migratory birds from the Caspian Sea, Baikal Lake, Aral Sea, Mongolia, central and southeast Asia, and the Himalayas make Hirakud reservoir their home from November to March.

Last winter, over 3.16 lakh birds from 108 species were observed in the reservoir, while in 2022, more than 2.08 lakh birds from 104 species were sighted.