Hyderabad bird survey to start in February

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Bird Atlas (HBA) has been planned for February next, to study and record bird species across Hyderabad in a scientific manner. This three-year citizen science initiative will follow a standard method to map where birds are found in the city.

The project is being led by three organisations — WWF, Hyderabad Birding Pals, and Deccan Birders — with 300 participants registered. Training will take place in December, followed by mock surveys in January.

Eleven per cent of the city has been divided into 180 grid cells, each covering 1.1 sq. km. Trained participants will survey each cell for one hour, recording bird species. These surveys will happen twice a year once in February during the winter and again in the summer over the next three years.

The cells cover different habitats, such as urban areas, parks, lakes, reserve forests, and national parks like KBR. The atlas planned to capture a broad range of bird species from these diverse environments in Hyderabad.

“The aim is to cover areas within the Outer Ring Road, including green patches that are often overlooked, to get a complete picture of Hyderabad's bird diversity. This data will help us understand not only bird populations but also how changing climate conditions, like unseasonal rains, affect biodiversity.” said Farida Tampal, state director, WWF India, Hyderabad.

Sudhir Moorti, vice-president, Deccan Birders, “This survey will run for a minimum of three years and could extend to five, depending on its success. The information gathered will be valuable for scientists to track trends in bird populations and better understand the environmental changes impacting them.”