Guwahati: Kaziranga Tiger Reserve has emerged as an avian hotspot, with a new study by the reserve’s authorities reporting it hosts 45% of India’s raptor species and six of the country’s eight stork species. It also recorded the nation’s highest concentration of nesting sites for the rare Pallas’s fish eagle.Most of the species recorded are listed in Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, officials said.The survey documented 30 raptor species with 217 individual birds, and six stork species totalling 266 individuals. Among storks, the Asian Openbill was the most common with 92 records across all divisions, while the Greater adjutant stork was the rarest with three individual sightings. Among raptors, the Himalayan griffon vulture was the most frequently seen bird of prey with 69 individual sightings, while the Booted eagle and White tailed eagle were the rarest, with one individual sighting each.“The park supports a wide variety of diurnal and nocturnal raptors, which includes eagles, falcons, vultures, buzzards and owls, as well as its vast network of wetlands is home to numerous resident and migratory stork species,” said Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve director Sonali Ghosh on Saturday.Division-wise, Kaziranga recorded the highest richness with 21 raptor species and five stork species. It was followed by Biswanath wildlife division with 20 raptor species and six stork species, and Nagaon wildlife division with 14 raptor species and five stork species.To support science-based management, the Kaziranga Tiger Reserve authority, along with research scholars from state universities, carried out the comprehensive survey in Feb–March 2026, and released the report on World Environment Day, Friday.A 10-member team of expert enumerators conducted the rapid survey from the last week of Feb to March 2 across all administrative ranges under the Eastern Assam Wildlife Division, with nesting locations from the current year also included in the analysis. “These findings underline Kaziranga’s importance for conservation and highlight priorities including nest and floodplain habitat protection, mitigation of powerline electrocution, continued telemetry and international collaboration to secure the species’ remaining populations,” Ghosh said.Authorities said the findings will strengthen ongoing efforts to protect threatened raptor and stork species and improve biodiversity across the park’s habitats. “This survey underscores the importance of preserving Kaziranga’s contrasting landscape and highlights the significant role that these birds play in the overall health of the ecosystem,” Ghosh added.With 112 raptor species recorded across India, Ghosh said Kaziranga National Park and the adjoining landscape hold about 50 species of raptors. “The state’s rich, diverse wetlands and Himalayan foothills provide critical habitats for these birds of prey,” she added.Globally, there are 20 stork species mainly in tropical and subtropical regions, and India records eight—about half the world total—researchers said, citing the region’s extensive wetlands and tall trees as secure hunting and nesting habitat.
