Kolkata, August 4, 2022

 

The Indian mainland and its islands support a wide variety of bird species including resident and migratory one. Yet, the number of bird enthusiasts in India seems well below the numbers seen in many European countries with less bird diversity. Though this number has now risen considerably in India, it is expected to increase much more in the near future as many young birders across the country have taken up bird watching and bird photography as their hobby.

Prior to conservation, documentation of the existing species across the country is crucial as it paves the way for database creation for any future long-term conservation actions. In order to document correctly, identification of each species is vital. Thus, the need of a good field identification guide, which not only helps professional birders but also the amateur is of paramount importance. Keeping this in mind, the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) has made a genuine attempt to publish a field guide with good quality photos to help birders compare the species of birds that they sight in the field for easy identification.

ZSI has published this new book on Indian birds- a photographic field guide which deals with 1331 species of birds found within the jurisdictional boundary of India. The book was released by Shri Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, during his visit to ZSI on July 1, 2022. The main highlight of this book is the quality photographs birds used to depict a species unlike other books that used drawings.

In order to promote the book, the ZSI arranged two events, one each in Kolkata today and another event in Mumbai on August 13, 2022, respectively.

The authors of the book interacted with the local birders in the city today and explained to them what prompted them to bring out this book and why they want to promote the same.

In Kolkata, the event was held in the auditorium of the ZSI and the Mumbai programme will be jointly organised by ZSI and Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) at BNHS.

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