Bhubaneswar: A 2-km-long ‘Birding Trail’ was opened for visitors at Debrigarh wildlife sanctuary on Saturday as part of Wildlife Week 2025, a forest officer said. The dedicated birding trek for nature enthusiasts, children and youth passes through small canals and streams, grasslands and dense forest patches of Debrigarh, Hirakud wildlife division DFO Anshu Pragyan Das said.

“The trek gives visitors the opportunity to see ground-nesting and tree-nesting birds. A small part of the trail is along the Hirakud wetland, where various wading birds can be spotted,” she said.

Debrigarh sanctuary is home to more than 340 species of birds around the year and more than 110 species of birds are seen in Hirakud Wetland every winter. To enhance bird-watching experience, sanctuary officials have installed 42 display boards along the trail. These boards provide information about 42 commonly seen but significant birds of Debrigarh, including details on their names, lifespan, calls, behaviour, habits, nesting patterns, diets and other interesting facts, officials added.

A short film featuring various bird calls — such as mating, distress and contact calls — has also been created to help visitors identify birds through their vocalisations.

“Globally, the bird population is estimated at around 400 billion, which is approximately six birds for every human. Despite birds outnumbering humans, very few people are aware of them,” officials said.