The recent bird census conducted at Odisha's renowned Bhitarkanika National Park indicates a growing avian population, with a total of 1,30,796 birds counted across 27,646 nests on 1,409 trees in Konika and Rajnagar forest ranges.
Key Findings:
-Nests Identified: 13,261 (Konika's Bhitarkanika monastery), 13,594 (Laxmi Prasad Dia), 59 (Durga Prasad Dia), 732 (Balidia-Rajnagar).
- Species: 10 types nesting include Gendalia (most numerous), Panikua (second), Kaparkhai, Anjana, various egrets/herons.
- Growth: 673 more birds vs 2024 (1,30,123); steady increase seen since 2020 (97,866).
- Year-wise Counts: 1,08,639 (2021), 1,16,070 (2022), 1,23,867 (2023).