For birdwatchers in the national capital, the National Zoological Park (NZP) has launched “Sunday Bird Walk @ NZP”, an initiative aimed at promoting public participation in biodiversity monitoring, bird documentation and conservation awareness.
The inaugural bird walk was conducted on Sunday from 6.30 am to 930 am under the expert guidance of renowned ornithologist Dr Paritosh Ahmad and dedicated birding volunteers.
Notable bird species recorded during the walk included Indian Peafowl, Yellow-footed Green Pigeon, Asian Koel, Common Hawk-Cuckoo, White-breasted Waterhen, Painted Stork, Indian Cormorant, Black-crowned Night Heron, Little Egret, Great Egret, White-throated Kingfisher, Brown-headed Barbet, Rose-ringed Parakeet, Common Tailorbird, Ashy Prinia, Wire-tailed Swallow, Red-whiskered Bulbul, Indian White-eye, Jungle Babbler, Common Myna, Purple Sunbird, Black Kite, Red-wattled Lapwing, Indian Pond Heron and several other wetland-associated bird species.
The programme witnessed an encouraging response from birdwatchers, nature enthusiasts, students and wildlife lovers. A total of 58 registrations were received, with 23 participants actively taking part in the bird walk.
During the walk, participants successfully recorded and documented 33 bird species (taxa) and observed more than 100 individual birds across the zoo premises. The initiative has been conceptualised as a citizen science platform, enabling participants to contribute to documenting avian diversity within the zoo landscape while learning scientific methods of bird observation, identification and data recording.
Addressing the participants, Dr Paritosh Ahmad shared valuable insights into bird identification, behaviour, ecological significance and conservation. He emphasised the vital role birds play in maintaining ecological balance through seed dispersal, pest control, pollination and ecosystem monitoring.
Through this initiative, NZP aims to foster environmental stewardship among citizens and generate valuable biodiversity records through community participation.
The National Zoological Park plans to organise the “Sunday Bird Walk @ NZP” every Sunday morning, with participation limited to 20 individuals per session aged 18 years and above.
