Overview
- The rapid survey was carried out by a 10-member team in late February to March and released on June 5 for World Environment Day, recording 217 individual raptors and 266 individual storks across the reserve.
- Counts by administration show the Eastern Assam division recorded 21 raptor species and five stork species, Biswanath recorded 20 raptor species and six stork species, and Nagaon recorded 14 raptor species and five stork species.
- Among storks the Asian Openbill was most common with 92 individuals and the Greater Adjutant was rare with three sightings, while the Himalayan Griffon Vulture was the most frequently seen raptor with 69 records and the Booted Eagle and White-tailed Eagle were each seen once.
- The survey reinforces Kaziranga’s role as a critical breeding stronghold for the globally threatened Pallas’s Fish Eagle, supported by earlier Wildlife Institute of India nest counts and satellite tracking that shows a Mongolian-tagged male named 'Ider' returns to breed in Kaziranga each year.
- Most species recorded are protected under Schedule I of India’s Wildlife (Protection) Act which gives them top legal protection and park managers say the findings will guide measures to reduce threats such as habitat loss, powerline electrocution, and disturbance at nesting sites.