The Delhi Bird Atlas 2025 is a citizen-science initiative to systematically map the distribution, abundance and seasonal presence of birds across the National Capital Territory of Delhi. It is led by the Delhi Forest Department and Delhi Bird Foundation, with support from organisations such as Bird Count India, WWF-India and local birding groups.
It is important because Delhi is not only a dense urban region; it also contains wetlands, ridge forests, Yamuna floodplains, scrublands, parks, urban villages, residential colonies and landfill-edge habitats that support significant bird diversity.
Survey and Key Findings
The Delhi Bird Atlas recorded 221 bird species in its first year of surveys across Delhi’s varied habitats. The survey covered wetlands, ridge forests, urban villages, high-rise residential areas and other urban landscapes.
The summer survey of 2025 recorded 160 bird species across seven clusters and 145 sub-cells. It involved more than 200 volunteers and 50 teams, generating nearly 600 checklists through the eBird platform.
Some notable summer sightings included:
- Greater Flamingo
- Black Bittern
- Bonelli’s Eagle
- Indian Pitta
The findings show that bird diversity in Delhi is not confined only to famous birding locations. Even overlooked habitats such as urban drains, dumps, scrub patches, slums, parks and residential areas can support important bird populations.
Why Delhi Matters for Birds
Delhi lies on the Central Asian Flyway, making it relevant for migratory birds moving between breeding and wintering grounds. Its wetlands and floodplains provide feeding and resting habitats for several winter migrants.
Important bird habitats in Delhi include:
- Yamuna floodplains
- Najafgarh Jheel region
- Delhi Ridge
- Asola-Bhatti landscape
- Sanjay Van
- city parks and institutional campuses
- urban wetlands and drains
The Atlas is significant because it creates spatial data on where birds occur, which habitats they use and how their distribution changes between seasons.
Conservation Significance
The Delhi Bird Atlas helps move urban biodiversity conservation from random sightings to evidence-based planning.
Its data can help identify:
- bird-rich microhabitats
- seasonal hotspots
- declining habitats
- urban wetlands needing protection
- areas affected by construction or pollution
- sites important for migratory birds
This matters because Delhi’s bird habitats face pressure from sewage, construction debris, plastic waste, wetland shrinkage, vegetation clearance, stray dogs, agricultural encroachment and poor river water quality. A 2026 Asian Waterbird Census along the Yamuna floodplains recorded over 9,000 birds from 131 species, but also highlighted severe habitat threats along the river stretch.
Conclusion
The Delhi Bird Atlas 2025 is an important urban biodiversity mapping initiative.
Its main value lies in showing that Delhi’s bird diversity survives across a mosaic of wetlands, ridge forests, floodplains, parks and even neglected urban habitats.
The Atlas can support better wetland protection, ridge conservation, urban planning and long-term monitoring of bird populations in one of India’s most urbanised regions
