Nandhaur U’khand’s stronghold for rare eastern avifaunal elements
O P Agnihotri/ Haldwani
The Haldwani Forest Division / Nandhaur Wildlife Sanctuary has completed a systematic bird census in December 2025, documenting the presence of 215 bird species which marks a substantial increase from 168 species recorded during the 2023 census. Informing this, the divisional forest officer, Kundan Kumar said that the findings have reaffirmed the exceptional avifaunal richness and conservational importance of the Nandhaur Wildlife Sanctuary within the Terai Arc Landscape of Uttarakhand.
The census had been conducted between 19–22 December by a team of frontline field staff, trained nature guides and experts using standard scientific methods, including point counts and line transects, covering a wide range of habitats such as moist sal forests, mixed deciduous forests, riverine belts, wetlands and grasslands. Surveys had been carried out during peak bird activity hours in both morning and evening sessions, the DFO said.
“The increased species richness reflects improved habitat coverage, peak winter migration and the continued ecological integrity of the Nandhaur landscape,” he added.
Importantly, the census has recorded 10 species of global conservation concern, including Critically Endangered: White-rumped Vulture, Endangered: Steppe Eagle and Pallas’s Fish-Eagle and Vulnerable: Great Hornbill and Great Slaty Woodpecker. Among the Near Threatened species whose presence has been recorded include Himalayan Griffon, Cinereous Vulture, Rufous-bellied Eagle and Lesser Fish Eagle.
In addition to threatened species, the census documented several rare and range-significant birds, including Black Baza (Aviceda leuphotes), Red-headed Trogon (Harpactes erythrocephalus), Silver-eared Mesia (Leiothrix argentauris), Common Merganser (Mergus merganser) and Collared Falconet (Microhierax caerulescens).
These species are typically associated with eastern Himalayan and Indo-Malayan avifaunal elements, making their occurrence in Nandhaur particularly noteworthy, the forest officer noted.
The observation of the Black Baza (Aviceda leuphotes) is of exceptional scientific importance. This species is primarily distributed across the eastern Himalaya, Northeast India and Southeast Asia, with no well-established records in west of central Nepal. The present sighting from Haldwani Forest Division appears to represent a significant westward range extension, subject to detailed verification through photographic evidence and expert scrutiny. If confirmed, it would constitute an important addition to the avifaunal records of the western Himalayan foothills, forest experts commented.
Equally significant is the sighting of the Red-headed Trogon (Harpactes erythrocephalus), a flagship species of mature, undisturbed forest ecosystems and a characteristic representative of eastern Himalayan avifauna. Its presence indicates high habitat integrity, structural forest complexity, and continuity of suitable micro-habitats, which are increasingly rare in the western part of the species’ overall range.
“Birds are globally recognised as bio-indicators of ecosystem health. The results of the Bird Census 2025 demonstrate that ongoing habitat protection and management interventions are yielding positive ecological outcomes,” the DFO declared.
