Asian Waterbird Count

Asian Waterbird Census 2025

Wetlands International started the Asian Waterbird Census (AWC) in the Indian subcontinent in 1987. To support this effort, Nepal has also been consistently participating in the AWC since 1987. This is Nepal's longest-running regular wildlife monitoring program, with most of the participation coming from citizen scientists.

Every year, the waterbird census begins on the first Saturday of January to collect information about the number, species, and habitat conditions of waterbirds found in lakes, ponds, rivers, and wetlands across the country. This year's census was conducted from January 4 to 19 (from Paush 20 to Magh 6). During this period, data was collected on resident and migratory birds that depend on and live around water.

Wetlands International started the Asian Waterbird Census (AWC) in the Indian subcontinent in 1987. Nepal has consistently participated in the AWC since then to support this effort, making it Nepal's longest-running regular wildlife monitoring program, largely driven by citizen scientists.

Dr. Hem Sagar Baral coordinated this initiative from 2002 to 2024. Laxman Prasad Poudyal has now taken over the coordination role for 2025 and onwards. The Nepalese Ornithological Union coordinated this year's census program, working in collaboration with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation and Wetlands International. Various national parks, wildlife reserves, forest offices, and other organizations actively took part in this important initiative. The 2025 waterbird census mobilized 466 volunteer counters to survey 78 smaller sites located within 18 major wetland areas nationwide.

The waterbird census was conducted in the Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve and its surroundings; Chitwan, Banke, Bardiya, Shuklaphanta, and Rara National Parks and their vicinities; the lakes and reservoirs of Janakpurdham and the Kamala River; and in Hetauda, Kathmandu, Pokhara, Lumbini, Bisahajari Lake, Ghodaghodi, and Jagdishpur. A total of 96,565 individuals representing 96 waterbird species were recorded. A brief overview of these findings is provided in the table.

S.N.	Site	Number of Species	Total Birds Counted
1.	Koshi Wildlife Reserve & surrounding	68	10185
2.	Barjutal	34	6238
3.	Dhanushadham & Kamala River	24	692
4.	Lakes & Rivers of Hetauda	16	200
5.	Chitwan National Park & Vicinity	61	27564
6.	Lumbini Area	44	3154
7.	Jagadishpur Reservoir	48	12832
8.	Rapti River, Dang	27	571
9.	Banke National Park & Vicinity	32	1678
10.	Bardia National Park & Vicinity	54	5872
11.	Ghodaghodi Lake Area	26	1150
12.	Nakhrodi Lake, Kailali	15	165
13.	Shuklaphanta National Park & Vicinity	69	20486
14.	Puraini & Bandha Tal, Belauri, Kanchanpur	48	1349
15.	Rara Lake (Rara National Park)	14	502
16.	Lakes & Wetlands in Pokhara Valley	55	3441
17.	Manohara in Kathmandu Valley	11	282
18.	Taudaha & Bagmati in Kathmandu Valley	18	204
Total		96	96565

AWC 2025 Nepal: Most Numerous Species

English Name	*Scientific Name*	Nepali Name	Individual Count
Ruddy Shelduck NTS: NT	Tadorna ferruginea	चखेवाचखेवी	16683
Common Teal	Anas crecca	विजुलागैरी	9602
Common Coot	Fulica atra	मरुल	9171
Lesser Whistling-duck	Dendrocygna javanica	सिलसिले	8676
Gadwall	Mareca strepera	खडखडे हाँस	4477
Great Cormorant NTS: NT	Phalacrocorax carbo	जलेवा	4477
Little Pratincole NTS: NT	Glareola lactea	पानी गौंथली	3989
Northern Pintail NTS: EN	Anas acuta	सुइरोपुच्छ्रे	3683
Red-crested Pochard	Calidris minuta	सुनजुरे हाँस	2972
Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	हरियो टाउके	2463
Bar-headed Goose NTS: NT	Anser indicus	खोयाहाँस	2370
Eurasian Wigeon	Mareca penelope	सिन्दुरे हाँस	1846
Little Cormorant	Microcarbo niger	सानो जलेवा	1804
Cattle Egret	Bubulcus ibis	वस्तु बकुल्ला	1622
Grey-headed Lapwing	Vanellus cinereus	राजहुटिट्याउ	1517
Red-wattled Lapwing	Vanellus indicus	हुटिट्याउँ	1408
Indian Pond Heron	Ardeola grayii	आसकोटे बकुल्ला	1123

AWC 2025 Nepal: Least Numerous Species1

English Name	*Scientific Name*	Nepali Name	Individual Count
Bean Goose	Anser fabalis	पहेंलोठूँडे कलहाँस	1
Chinese Spot-billed Duck	Anas zonorhyncha	थोप्लाचुच्चे नादुन हाँस	1
Common Shelduck	Tadorna tadorna	लालठूँडे चखेवा	1
Eurasian Curlew (GTS: NT, NTS: CR)	Numenius arquata	आँसीठूँडे	1
Mandarin Duck	Aix galericulata	मण्डारिन हाँस	1
Marsh Sandpiper	Tringa stagnatillis	मसिनोठूँडे टिमटिमा	1
Little Tern NTS: VU	Sternula albifrons	लघु फ्यालफ्याले	2
Long-billed Plover	Charadrius placidus	लामठूडे राजपुत्रिका	2
Spotted Redshank	Tringa erythropus	थोप्ले टिमटिमा	2
Common Redshank	Tringa totanus	लालखुट्टे टिमटिमा	2
Baillon's Crake NTS: VU	Zapornia pusilla	झिली	3
Painted Stork NTS: EN	Mycteria leucocephala	लालटाउके गरुड	3
Falcated Duck GTS: NT, NTS: CR	Mareca falcata	फुर्के हाँस	4
White-tailed Lapwing GTS:EN, NTS: CR	Vanellus leucurus	सेतोपुच्छ्रे हुटिट्याउँ	4
Black-bellied Tern	Sterna acuticauda	उत्क्रोशी फ्यालफ्याले	5
Greater Painted-snipe	Rostratula benghalensis	चित्राङ्गड	5
Ibisbill NTS: EN	Ibidorhyncha struthersii	तिलहरी चरा	6

AWC 2025 Nepal: Previously Recorded Species Not Observed in 2025

English Name	Scientific Name	Nepali Name
Baer's Pochard	Aythya baeri	देवहाँस
Indian Skimmer	Rynchops albicollis	झाँझर चिउवा
Long-tailed Duck	Clangula hyemalis	लामपुच्छ्रे हाँस
Common Pochard	Aythya ferina	कैलोटाउके हाँस
River Tern	Sterna aurantia	कुरारी फ्यालफ्याले
Black-necked Crane	Grus nigricollis	कालीकण्ठे सारस
Greater Adjutant	Leptoptilos dubius	राजगरुड
Red Knot	Calidris canutus	रातो जलरङ्क
Black-tailed Godwit	Limosa limosa	मलगुझा
Curlew Sandpiper	Calidris ferruginea	आँसीठूँडे जलरङ्क

Site Coordinators for AWC 2025

Site Name	Site Coordinators	Number of sub-sites	Number of Citizen Scientists involved
Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve and Barju Lake	Chakra Timsina and Anish Timsina	14	30
Dhanusha Dham	Dev Narayan Mandal	2	13
Hetauda	Drishtanta Bidari	2	39
East Chitwan	Basu Bidari, Tek Gurung Tika Ram Giri	10	63
Central Chitwan	Manesh Limbu, Hathan Chaudhary	5	45
West Chitwan	DB Chaudhary	4	34
Nawalpur Wetlands	Seejan Gyawali	2	10
Lumbini	Hathan Chaudhary	8	8
Jagadishpur	Hathan Chaudhary	1	6
Rapti Dang	Chiranjivi Khanal	1	6
Banke District	Ram Bahadur Shahi	3	20
Bardia National Park	Ram Bahadur Shahi	3	78
Ghodaghodi Lake Area	Daya Ram Chaudhary	2	28
Shuklaphanta NP Kanchanpur	Hathan Chaudhary, Devraj Joshi	9	26
Manohara River, Bhaktapur	Sanjay Tha Shrestha	1	10
Taudaha and Bagmati River	Tek Bahadur Gharti Magar	1	10
Pokhara wetlands	Manshanta Ghimire, Jhalak Chaudhary	9	30
Rara lake	Dharmajit Saud	1	10
Total		78	466

The offices of Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve, Chitwan National Park, Bardia National Park, Banke National Park, Shuklaphanta National Park, and Rara National Park were highly involved in and participated in the bird count. Tiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge strongly supported the bird count in the Pokhara valley. ZSL Nepal and the National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC) provided support in the Terai National Parks, specifically in Banke, Bardia, and Shuklaphanta. Bird Conservation Nepal, Koshi Bird Society, Bird Education Society, Pokhara Bird Society, Mithila Wildlife Trust, Birds Nepal, Chitwan Nature Guide Association, and Meghauli Nature Guide Association played a vital role in mobilizing citizen scientists during the field survey. The Nepalese Ornithological Union extends its thanks to everyone involved in the AWC 2025 in Nepal.