On a broken wing and a prayer, Indian birds

You wouldn’t call Aadesh Shivkar, the co-founder of Nature Indian Tours, a cynical man. After all, someone who can summon up enthusiasm for anything at all can’t be all that cynical and Shivkar is evidently passionate about birds, of the winged variety, of course.

Which is just as well because he displays an alarming (to birds) talent for reproducing the mating calls of a Babbler. His performance attracts at least four Babblers, and they twitter shyly around his head.

But ask Shivkar about saving endangered birds and he becomes cynicism personified. “Saving the tiger is much more in vogue today. But have we gone beyond the donations and fancy campaigns to do anything about the alarming decline?” he asks bluntly. As for saving the birds of India, he adds, that’s neither on the government’s priority list, nor glamourous enough to stir the masses. 

According to a new report released by the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and BirdLife International, the number of threatened bird species, which was 149 in 2008, has now gone up to 156. (See box.) At least 26 species from Maharashtra, including the Lesser Flamingo, the Malabar Pied Hornbill, the Great Indian Bustard and the White-Rumped Vulture already feature on the list.

Census is tricky
A bird census, understandably, is trickier than an animal census. Larger birds like the Great Indian Bustard can be easily counted every year. But the Grey-Headed Bulbuls, for instance, are found only in the Western Ghats and are difficult to count in a now fragmented habitat. Since it is impossible to draw up conclusive figures, experts depend on bird-sightings during expeditions. Information collected from locals and birders (those who watch and study birds) is taken into account. In the US and Europe, they conduct programmes known as Breeding Bird Surveys, which take place at the peak of the nesting season. The number of nests is counted, which indicates bird population trends. 
India’s grasslands and wetlands are home to a variety of bird species, but they are increasingly under threat.

“During the British Raj, vast stretches of the shola grasslands in the Western Ghats were converted into tea plantations, endangering the Black-Chinned Laughing-Thrush,” points out Asad Rahmani, director, BNHS. Now, thanks to the forest department’s policy of uprooting old trees to make place for new ones, the Malabar-Pied Hornbill lies in the ‘Near Threatened’ category. The Hornbill species nests only in cavities of old trees, where the female incarcerates herself by sealing the entrance, leaving a narrow slit, through which she, and later her chicks, receive food from the male. In new trees, the Hornbill cannot drill holes.

Fallout of extinction
The extinction of a bird species disrupts the ecosystem as much as the extinction of a wild animal at the top of the food chain. After the Dodo became extinct in the 17th century, the Calvaria tree in Mauritius declined, too. Its seeds didn’t sprout since it depended on the Dodo to ingest and deposit them over a larger area. Though we lack research to establish similar connections here, Dr Rahmani says there have been reports of decline of the Ficus tree in areas where the numbers of the Malabar Pied Hornbill have taken a hit. Often, he adds, the menace of insects suddenly striking a region can also be traced to the disappearance of the area’s birds.

“Other countries have managed to bring back birds from the point of extinction. Two decades ago, there was only one Magpie Robin left in the Seychelles. But careful conservation has brought it back. India, too, has ongoing projects on vultures and the Great Indian Bustard. But success depends on funds and governmental support,” says Dr Rahmani.

International collaboration helps. The UK’s Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), for instance, has had some success in partnering with the BNHS to save the Gyps Vultures and Jerdon’s Coursers.

The Jerdon’s Courser is found only in India, but was believed to be extinct. Then in 1986, a BNHS volunteer happened to see it in Andhra Pradesh (its only home). “You can imagine the research we need to take care of a species we knew nothing about — that it is nocturnal and extremely shy doesn’t help matters. There are just 50 Jerdon’s Coursers here and our work with them has been rewarding,” says Ian Barber from RSPB.

Shivkar, however, believes that involvement of the common man is vital. “Large projects are all right, but a handful of experts cannot help a species. Only numbers can save large numbers — people’s involvement is a must here. Also, how will a layperson save something he doesn’t feel connected to?” demands Shivkar. Raising awareness about birding and encouraging people to join bird clubs will help raise sensitivity, he adds.

 “The Okhla national park in Delhi was under threat by encroachers and was saved due to the efforts of a local bird club. The BNHS, too, must work closely with local bird clubs. In the UK, one million people are members of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) — it is a strong lobby by itself and has been able to influence government decisions on bird conservation. We need an Indian RSPB to make a difference,” believes Shivkar.