Avian conservation: Pocket guide introduces TG’s winged friends to students

Hyderabad: To raise awareness and educate students in government schools and junior colleges (from Class VI to Intermediate) about the importance of Telangana’s native birds which are gradually disappearing, Hyderabad Birding Pals (HBP) has created a unique pocket guide titled ‘Birds of Telangana.’ This guide is a pioneering effort to showcase the avifaunal diversity of the State.

Recently released, this pocket guide aims to raise awareness among students about bird conservation and the importance of preserving natural habitats. It emphasises the need to reduce deforestation and increase green cover to protect Telangana’s birds and their ecosystems. The guide includes details on bird identification, birdwatching locations across the state, and the conservation status of various species. Featuring images of 252 bird species, including the Green-winged Teal, Ruddy Shelduck, and Tufted Duck, the guide covers many of the 443 bird species recorded in Telangana to date.

Sriram Reddy, a core committee member of HBP, said, “Our goal with this pocketbook is to educate students across the State on the importance of conserving birds, other wildlife, water bodies, and grasslands. Around 252 important bird species are highlighted and categorised into four habitats, including around 81 species of wet lands, 45 species of forests, 45 species of grasslands and shrub lands and 81 general species highlighted in this book. The book features photographs contributed by 30 photographers and provides details on each bird’s height, preferred habitats, and conservation status as classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).”

“At present, 1,000 copies have been printed, and by the end of this month, around 10,000 copies will be printed. In the initial stage, we have planned to distribute them at government schools in Khammam and Hyderabad. Later, we are targeting to print one lakh copies that will be distributed to all the government schools across the State in the next academic year,” he added.