Threatened and Endemic Birds of Namdapha National Park A Field Guide

Eastern Himalayas are adobe to many species, starting from small insects to large mammals. Namdapha National Park (NNP) falls within the Eastern Himalaya Biodiversity Hotspot forms one of the most significant blocks of semi-evergreen & evergreen forests in North-East India. Globally, this area has been identified as a high priority landscape for tiger conservation & maintaining connectivity for tiger habitat within North-East Indian forests & easternmost areas. Besides this, the park houses about 505 bird species. Birds are the most elusive & essential species for their sizeable diversified habitat. The wide variety of avifauna makes the landscape a favorite destination for ornithologists & bird lovers. This wide variety plays a significant cultural, aesthetic & economic role in human life & sets the stage for socially responsible ecotourism. But the declining number of birds is a severe cause of concern for the ecology & economy of the area, with the visible climate change scenario, habitat destruction & other human activities devastating the diversity of life on the planet. Undeniably, there is an urgent need to identify the threatened bird species, create awareness among the people &, more importantly, develop a conservation strategy. The present book attempts to provide concise information & generate awareness among the common people towards conserving a few majestic & threatened birds left in the wild. This book contains a description & illustration of 40 birds belonging to 21 families, 34 genera & 13 orders. The species description of the book covers the common name, scientific name, their distinctive identifying features, habitat, sighting sites, diet, IUCN & IWPA status, threats & conservation actions & a global distribution map. This book gives the baseline information on the threatened avian composition of Namdapha NP with the hope that this book will be able to serve as a field guide & handy reference for forest departmental staff, researchers, bird enthusiasts, academicians, tourists & conservationists visiting the park.