Did you know that the mysterious pink-headed duck is critically endangered? It appears to have succumbed to a combination of habitat loss and hunting pressure. What about the Siberian Crane? Their global population has been estimated at 2,900-3,000 birds. The key threat is wetland loss — destruction and degradation of wetlands along its passage and wintering grounds. And, vultures? As is with the white-rumped and Indian vultures, a sharp decline has been recorded in the last few years in the population of the slender-billed vulture, common in India and Nepal till recently.
Learn all this and more about birds at www.bnhsenvis.nic.in. The website of the Environmental Information System (ENVIS) Centre of the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) packs in information about birds and avian ecology. It is available for free. Supported by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), Government of India, the website is available in English, Hindi and Marathi.
The database section is exceptional. It has information related to avian ecology of the Indian subcontinent. It has State/Union Territory-wise bird lists, birds endemic to India, Important Bird Areas (IBAs), birds of the Indian subcontinent and threatened birds of India. There is a list of water birds, migratory birds, and the changed common/scientific names of birds. The information is also available in the regional languages. The bibliographic database contains more than 15,000 references and provides search options based on Author, Year, Title and Journals.
Other interesting features include history of Indian ornithology, and birdwatching tips. Learn about bird census, bird diversity in India, and access links to other important bird websites/journals. There is an interactive section dedicated to the rare grassland bird — the Bustard and the ‘Species Recovery Plan' for another rare bird, Jerdon's Courser.
Gallery of photographs
A gallery of photographs >http://orientalbirdimages.org/ is put up by the Oriental Bird Club (OBC). The database has copyrighted images of bird species from the Oriental Region, contributed by renowned photographers. You could also mail photographs of Oriental birds at imagemaster@orientalbirdimages.org to build up the database.
Another link >http://www.nerdybirders.com/gallery2/IndianBirds/ showcases over 170 bird species from across India. You find rare images of Indian birds, butterflies, reptiles, dragonflies, bugs, beetles, mammals and more.
Other links in the gallery include >http://www.indiabirds.com/content/ birdgallery.asp and >http://www.kolkatabirds.com/birdsind.htm
There is also a Kid's Corner, an interactive page for children.
