Context :- 

Recently released State of India’s Birds 2020 (SoIB) assessment at the 13th CoP to the CMS raises the alarm that several spectacular birds, many of them endemic to the subcontinent, face a growing threat from loss of habitat.

Details from the report :- 

It was produced using a base of 867 species, and analysed with the help of data uploaded by 15,500 birdwatchers to the online platform, eBird. Upon this foundation, a large multi-institutional consortium of researchers drawn from both non-governmental and government institutions collaborated to analyse and put together the report.

Current annual trends are calculated over a five year period. Report has analysed the health of avifauna based on scientific groupings such as raptors (birds of prey), habitat, diet, migratory status and endemicity. The severe long term decline of vultures, recorded and analysed for years now, is underscored by the report. 

Common birds: Nearly 80% of drastic loss has been reported in case of several common birds.

Raptors(birds of prey): Overall are in decline, with ‘open country’ species such as the Pallid and Montagu Harriers, White bellied Sea Eagle and Rednecked Falcon suffering the most. Waterbirds:Migratory shorebirds, along with gulls and terns, seem to have declined the most among waterbirds.

Endemics: 

• Rufous­fronted Prinia, Nilgiri Thrush, Nilgiri Pipit and Indian vulture were confirmed as suffering current decline.
• All except 13 had a restricted or highly restricted range, indicating greater vulnerability to man made threats. 

House sparrows:

• They are seen to be declining in urban spaces, but have a stable population overall.
• Data from major cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai confirm the view that they have become rare in cities and urban areas.

Indian Peacock: 

• The biggest highlight in the bird population report has been a dramatic jump in the number of the national bird peacock.