Goa nears 500 bird species mark in 2025 checklist, almost 40% of India's total

Time of India

29-05-2025

Panaji:
Goa's bird checklist now records 497 species, highlighting the state's exceptional avian diversity—nearly 40% of India's total—in just 3,702 sq km. The 2025 update adds eight new bird species to the list.
'Five of the eight newly added species are seabirds, of which the short-tailed shearwater and white-tailed tropicbird were documented through the Marine Stranding Network,' said Dr Pronoy Baidya, scientist and head, research and consultancy division, Arannya Environment Research Organisation, Morlem, Sattari.
The information was published in the seventh version of the Goa bird checklist in Indian Birds Journal, authored by Baidya and treasurer of the Goa Bird Conservation Network (GBCN), Mandar Bhagat. 'The taxonomic updates follow the 2025 guidelines established by experts, Praveen J and Dr Rajah Jayapal, in their annual revision of Indian bird classifications,' Baidya told
TOI
.
One of the most interesting documentations of this year was that of the African openbill's altered movement patterns. 'Initially reported by Aparna Laad from Majorda in 2021, the African openbill remained in scientific limbo for four years. It was classified as having 'unknown origin' until a subsequent sighting in Kerala in 2023 prompted scholarly reassessment,' Baidya said.
'Following scientific discussions published in Indian Birds Journal, researchers now recognise this species as a climate change-influenced stray visitor to India, representing the evolving migration patterns of this largely resident African water bird,' he added.
Among other notable finds was the lesser noddy recorded at Galgibaga by Goa University research scholars, Sagar Naik and Shubham Rane. A great frigatebird was sighted by sea watchers from the Aguada Fort, while the streaked shearwater was documented off Goa's coast by a research team led by Jalmesh Karapurkar.
Terrestrial bird additions provide equally compelling insights into Goa's ecological complexity. Jerdon's Bushlark, typically associated with dry grasslands of southern India, was reported by Omkar Damle from the Soccoro plateau, suggesting possible range expansions or habitat adaptations.
The list also includes the rare yellow-rumped flycatcher in the Tamdi Surla forest area of Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary, sighted by Kuldip Topo and Parag Rangnekar.
The Goa Bird Checklist was launched during the second edition of the Goa Bird Festival in 2018. Unlike static taxonomic lists, this document undergoes annual updates that reflect current scientific evidence, including both species additions and removals based on International Union for Conservation of Nature criteria, and maintains rigorous documentation standards requiring photographic evidence, audio recordings, or museum specimens for species verification.