Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve Record High Grassland Bird Diversity

• Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve recorded 43 grassland bird species in its first avian survey conducted between March 18 and May 25.

• The species included the critically endangered Bengal florican, the endangered Finn’s weaver, and the swamp grass babbler.

• Six of the remaining 40 species were in the vulnerable category, including the black-breasted parrotbill, marsh babbler, swamp francolin, Jerdon’s babbler, slender-billed babbler, and bristled grassbird.

• The Finn’s weaver, a key indicator of grassland health, was found to be breeding successfully.

• The study is significant as wet grasslands are not well surveyed in India, comparing Kaziranga’s grassland bird diversity with the dry grasslands of Gujarat and Rajasthan.

• Passive acoustic recorders were deployed for non-invasive and continuous monitoring, improving species detection and accuracy.