Assam’s state bird, white-winged wood duck, now down to 300 in NE: WTI

Guwahati, Nov 14: Assam’s State bird – the white-winged wood duck (deo hanh) – may be on the brink of extinction.

The Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) is carrying out a survey of the bird in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, and according to preliminary estimates, only around 300 individuals may be left in Northeast India.

The survey is part of a WTI project that aims to bridge the information gap, and outline and execute a long-term recovery plan in collaboration with the forest department, local stakeholders, and experts.

According to conservationist Anwaruddin Choudhury, who pioneered studies on the white-winged wood duck, the bird’s population in Assam could be less than 200.

“Their numbers have noticeably declined in recent years. It is unlikely that there are more than 200 such ducks in Assam now,” he said.

According to estimates in his latest book, the population of the duck has dropped from around 350 in 1990 to less than 200 by 2021 – a bulk of the population now concentrated in Upper Dihing (west block) Reserve Forest in Tinsukia district. The only habitat – out of around 13 in the State – which saw a slight increase in the count is Nameri.

Choudhury’s figures are also quoted by BirdLife International in their publications.

Historically, the bird had a large range that extended through much of eastern South Asia, almost all of Southeast Asia and parts of western Indonesian archipelago.

In many of these range states, the bird is now extinct. Some fragmented populations remain in Sumatra, Cambodia, northern Myanmar and western Thailand, and the global population has declined by more than 80 per cent over the past three generations.

“Eastern Assam and Nameri National Park are its strongholds. In eastern Assam, Dihing Patkai National Park and adjacent forests of Upper Dihing RF are currently the most important habitats for the species in the State. Small numbers occur elsewhere in Sonai-Rupai wildlife sanctuary, Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary, Nambor, Doomdooma, Dangori, Torani, Burhi-Dihing and Lumding RFs. Due to habitat change, the occurrence of the species has become doubtful in many areas where there were past records, including Barak valley region,” Choudhury wrote in his book.

The causes of the species decline are multifaceted – destruction, degradation, pollution and disturbance of wetland habitats in forests, outright deforestation, hunting and collection of eggs, according to BirdLife International.

As per the assessment of BirdLife International in 2024, this species has been categorised as ‘critically endangered’ in the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List due to the small and fragmented population.

In 2003, the Government of Assam declared white-winged wood duck as the ‘State Bird of Assam’ to encourage further conservation efforts.