Zoological Survey of India publication – The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) introduced a recent publication titled “75 Endemic Birds of India” on the occasion of its 108th foundation day. The survey marks a surprising fact: about 5% of birds found in the country are endemic and are not reported in other parts of the world.
India is considered a home to 1,353 bird species, which represents approximately 12.40% of global bird diversity. Of these 1,353 bird species, 78 (5%) are endemic to the country.
As per Amitava Majumder, 3 species of the 78 species have not been recorded in the last few decades. They are the Manipur Bush Quail (Perdicula manipurensis), which was listed as ‘Endangered’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species with its last recorded sighting in 1907; the Himalayan Quail (Ophrysia superciliosa), which was listed as ‘Critically Endangered’ with its last recorded sighting in 1876; and the Jerdon’s Courser (Rhinoptilus bitorquatus), which was listed as ‘Critically Endangered’ with its last confirmed sighting in 2009.