102 bird species documented during Campus Bird Count 2026 at Mangalore University

The Campus Bird Count (CBC) - 2026 conducted by Mangalore University successful its field successful Mangaluru documented 102 vertebrate species.

Significantly, the nocturnal Sri Lankan Frogmouth was sighted and Western Ghats endemic taxon Flame-throated Bulbul was recorded during the survey, according to M. S. Mustak, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Applied Zoology astatine the university.

The survey was conduced for 4 days from February 13. It was organized by the section successful collaboration with the Natural History Association arsenic portion of the planetary Great Backyard Bird Count, coordinated successful India by Bird Count India. The assemblage has been actively participating successful this national subject inaugural for the past 9 years, helium said.

Systematic vertebrate observations were conducted crossed wooded patches, unfastened fields, and h2o bodies wrong the field utilizing standardized constituent number and transect methods. The attack ensured cautious documentation of taxon presence, abundance, and situation associations, Mr. Mustak said.

Common birds

Among the commonly recorded taxon were Purple Sunbird, Red-whiskered Bulbul, Golden Oriole, Black-hooded Oriole, Black Drongo, Vernal Hanging-Parrot, and Asian Green Bee-eater. The nesting behaviour of the Pale-billed Flowerpecker was a notable observation.

Migratory birds

Migratory taxon specified arsenic the Indian Golden Oriole, Ashy Drongo, Indian Pitta, Grey Wagtail, and Barn Swallow were besides sighted. Western Ghats endemic species, including the Flame-throated Bulbul, were documented portion the Black-headed Ibis, categorized arsenic adjacent threatened, added conservation value to the survey.

The nocturnal Sri Lankan Frogmouth was different important sighting.

Long-term biodiversity record

The university’s information successful CBC has steadily documented avian diverseness — 77 taxon successful 2016, 95 successful 2017, 110 successful 2018, 107 successful 2019, 103 successful 2020, 108 successful 2021, 103 successful 2022, 114 successful 2024, and 104 taxon successful 2025.

Over 9 years, the field has cumulatively recorded 161 vertebrate species, Mr. Mustak said.

He described the CBC arsenic “an fantabulous world level that integrates field-based learning with biodiversity conservation.”

He emphasized that accordant information implicit the years has generated invaluable baseline information to show ecological changes wrong the field ecosystem.

Deepak Naik, a impermanent module astatine the department, was the co-cordinator of CBC-2026.

The survey brought unneurotic 20 participants, including module members, probe scholars, post-graduate students, and 4 alumni birders of the department. It besides witnessed information from 3 schoolhouse students and a module subordinate from the Department of Physics.