Delhi: 247 species on Big Bird Day, max seen in 3 years

On Big Bird Day 2026, Delhi-NCR recorded 247 bird species, the highest in three years, with rare sightings and improved habitat coverage noted.

A total of 247 bird species were recorded across Delhi-NCR on the Big Bird Day 2026, logging the highest count in three years. The rare sightings included the baikal teal, savanna nightjar, white-tailed eagle, west Himalayan bush warbler, the yellow-browed warbler, and smoky warbler.

Baikal teal in Jhajjar. (courtesty: Mohit Mehta)

Across the Delhi-NCR, over 40 teams fanned out through wetlands, scrub and floodplains, recording 247 species – marginally higher than 243 in 2025, 234 in 2024, and 253 in 2023.

The annual exercise, which began in the Capital in 2000, was carried out across 28 states and Union Territories on February 1 this year, logging a cumulative 665 species nationwide.

“The day was marked with some rare sightings. Baikal teal is a beautiful visitor from the north, which was a major highlight at Haryana’s Mandothi. The smoky warbler, an elusive bird, added a significant record to this year’s count,” said Nikhil Devasar, birder and a founder of Big Bird Day.

Devasar attributed improved numbers to more intensive coverage of habitats. “While team numbers remained steady, the depth of coverage –- meaning the specific attention given to varied micro-habitats like the Yamuna floodplains, the Aravalli scrub, and the shrinking wetlands of Mandothi –- has reached a level of precision that allows us to pick up cryptic species like the smoky warbler and rare winter visitors like the baikal teal,” he said.

Further, bird enthusiasts also pointed to weather patterns on the day. “The shift from a dense morning fog to a clear, sunny afternoon created a compressed window of high activity on February 1. This often triggers an influx of foraging behaviour in birds that might otherwise remain inconspicuous, making them more detectable to experienced observers,” Devasar explained. He added that the presence of specific rarities suggests that despite the obvious urban pressures on the NCR, there are still ample wilderness hotspots in the region.

Another birder, Kavi Nanda, part of the count exercise, said excess rainfall in Delhi-NCR in January had formed temporary water bodies and rejuvenated existing wetlands, thus attracting migratory birds in good numbers.

State-wise tally showed Haryana saw the highest number of species at 241, followed by Gujarat (205) and Uttar Pradesh (203), while Delhi recorded 159 species.

Mohit Mehta, a birder who surveyed Mandothi and Asoda Todran in Haryana, said visibility remained tricky on the day of the count, which also made the activity interesting. “When there is fog, we can still sight birds, but photography gets impacted, which in turn helps in confirming certain species,” he said.