Monday, Sep 7, 2026

Hyderabad Bird Atlas season 3 records highest-ever 214 species

Hyderabad Bird Atlas Season 3 recorded a record 214 bird species and over 76,000 individual birds. The citizen science initiative, supported by volunteers and conservation groups, also tracked changes in Indian Roller sightings. Season 4 is planned for monsoon 2026.

By Yuvraj Akula

Published Date - 24 February 2026, 05:30 PM

Hyderabad Bird Atlas season 3 records highest-ever 214 species — Blue-faced Malkoha from 164 Keesara.

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Bird Atlas (HBA) Season 3, which concluded recently, has documented 214 bird species, the highest number so far, and 76,174 individual birds in Hyderabad.

This season produced several rare and noteworthy sightings. These included Long-legged Buzzard, nesting pair of Indian Spotted Eagle, Bonelli’s Eagle, Eurasian Wryneck, Red-headed Bunting, Baillon’s Crake and Spotted Redshank.

Species richness recorded by HBA has varied across seasons, reflecting seasonal differences as well as survey coverage. In Season 1, 195 bird species were documented, followed by 166 species in Season 2. Similarly, Season 3 documented 214 species, the highest number so far. When data from all three seasons are combined, HBA has documented an impressive total of 242 bird species from the Hyderabad landscape, the bird watchers said.

This city-wide citizen science initiative is jointly driven by WWF-India, Hyderabad Birding Pals (HBP), and Deccan Birders (DB), bringing together conservation organisations and local birding communities.

As per the sightings, the Indian Roller, Telangana’s State Bird, showed notable variation across the three seasons. In Season 1, 26 Indian Rollers were recorded from 22 different locations, while Season 2 saw a sharp decline with only four individuals documented from three locations. In contrast, Season 3 recorded a strong presence, with 38 Indian Rollers documented from 33 locations across the city.

The upcoming Season 4, scheduled during the monsoon of 2026, is expected to provide clearer insights into whether Indian Rollers exhibit local movements or seasonal shifts between winter and monsoon within the Hyderabad region, the bird watchers said.

The successful completion of Season 3 further strengthened long-term documentation of birdlife across Hyderabad through systematic, volunteer-driven surveys, they said.

In each of the three seasons, more than 200 volunteers took part in the surveys, contributing their time and expertise across the city. Many volunteers have participated consistently in all three seasons, reflecting a strong and growing community commitment to long-term urban biodiversity monitoring, they added.