Waterfowl numbers up 173%, species rise to 112 in Kaziranga

GUWAHATI: The number of water fowl in Assam’s worldfamous Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve (KNP & TR) in the latest census increased by 173% and the species’ numbers rose to 112 from 99, officials said on Tuesday.

KNP & TR director Karmashree P Sivakumar said that a total of 93,491 birds belonging to 112 species were recorded in the twoday third annual waterfowl census on February 6 and 7. "The number of wetland birds counted in the second census last year was 34,284 belonging to 99 species and the 10,412 waterfowl belonging to 80 species recorded during the baseline survey in 2018," Sivakumar said.