Cuttack, June 18: The Odisha chapter of the Indian Bird Conservation Network (IBCN) spotted 9,000 weaver birds during a two-day baya weaver count this month.
"The counting exercise was carried out on June 5 and 12 as part of IBCN's pan-India count under Bombay Natural History Society's Common Bird Monitoring Programme to ascertain the number of Baya weaver birds in the country," IBCN-Odisha co-ordinator Monalisha Bhujabal said.
"Weaver bird sightings were recorded and reported from select sites in Khurda, Cuttack, Nayagarh, Ganjam, Mayurbhanj, Kendrapara, Keonjhar and Puri districts," she said.
Odisha is home to three weaver birds species - Baya weaver (common Baya or Indian weaver), streaked weaver and black-breasted weaver (black-throated weaver).
The sparrow-sized weaver birds are highly gregarious and known for their nest-weaving skills. This is the only species that builds suspended pendulous nests in colonies, usually above water.
"Weaver nests were spotted on palm, banyan and other trees at Munduli, Baripada, Balipadar, Bhetnoi, Banki, Bhubaneswar, Tangi, Nayagarh, Banpur, Chilika, Mangaljodi, Anandpur and Jankia during the count in the eight districts," Bhujabal said.
The decline in the number of weaver birds because of growing human population and development has worried ornithologists. They said most weaver birds, which were once a common species across India, are undergoing a slow but steady population decline with the increasing loss and modification of grasslands into human-dominated landscape such as farms, factories, canals, roads and rapid increase in human population.
"There is an urgent need to monitor this species and collect population data to reduce habitat loss and degradation, along with promoting conservation-awareness initiatives focussed on sustainable management of grasslands to maximise available habitat for weaver birds," said Wild Orissa's Nanda Kishore Bhujabal, who co-ordinated the counting in the selected locations in Nayagarh, Ganjam and Khurda districts.
Weaver birds are protected and listed under Schedule IV of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, across India. Bhujabal also said: "Pramod Dhal from Wild Orissa, who also founded the social media group Kalinga Birds, co-ordinated the count in Mayurbhanj, Kendrapara and Puri districts."
The group followed direct-sighting method for the counting. The findings will be reported to the Bombay Natural History Society and the state government, IBCN-Odisha said.
Ornithologists said the Baya weaver bird feeds on grains, seeds and insects and has a high-pitched voice. Breeding colonies are noisy with a lot of activity, some males bring nesting material, while some males weave thin threads with their beaks into retort-shaped structures. The Baya has a polygamous breeding system - one male mates with many females. During the breeding season between April and August, the Baya males acquire a distinctive yellow breeding plumage.