West Bengal Records Highest Bird Species in India During GBBC 2025 for Third Consecutive Year.
National
In February 2025, West Bengal (WB) recorded the highest number of bird species across 37 states and union territories (UTs) in India, with 543 species, securing the top position in the national list for the third consecutive year. This recognition was achieved during the 28th annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), one of the world's largest birding events, held from February 14 to February 17, 2025.
- As per preliminary results, the total number of bird species in India increased to 1,068 in 2025, compared to 1,036 in 2024. Additionally, the number of checklists (a list of birds observed, heard, or identified) submitted from India rose to 44,300 in 2025.
- In the GBBC India 2025 rankings, WB secured the highest number of species, followed by Uttarakhand in second place with 446 species. Other states in the rankings included Assam and Maharashtra with 414 species each, Karnataka with 380 species, and Kerala with 342 species.
Main Point :- (i) In 2025, WB uploaded 1,909 checklists, a slight decrease from 2,223 entries in 2024. Kerala led India in checklist submissions with 9,856 entries. Darjeeling recorded the highest number of species in WB with 252 species, though lower than last year's 308 species.
(ii) South 24 Parganas emerged as the top district in WB with 513 checklists, while in 2024, Darjeeling held the top position with 342 checklists.
(iii) The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is a global annual bird-watching event held every February, launched in 1998 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society (USA). It helps monitor bird populations through eBird, an online platform. India joined GBBC in 2013 with 200 participants.
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