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Naxalbari Black-headed Ibis Count Fell to Around 190 in 2026

Black-headed ibis in Keoladeo National Park, India
Conservation · Population & status

An annual count in Naxalbari, West Bengal, India, recorded around 190 black-headed ibises (Threskiornis melanocephalus) in August 2026. Members of the Himalayan Nature and Adventure Foundation (HNAF), which has helped conduct the census for five years, said earlier annual counts had been around 350 birds.

The count focuses mainly on adult breeding birds in the Naxalbari area, where the species has been recorded for more than two decades. HNAF member Antara Paul said the ibises generally arrive in March and remain until early October. A separate 2025 heronry survey by Birdwatchers’ Society and partner organisations recorded 370 black-headed ibises, including more than 85 breeding pairs across seven nesting trees. Separate teams counted nesting colonies and two foraging areas, with follow-up checks intended to reduce double-counting. Because that design differed from HNAF’s annual census, the 370 birds are not necessarily directly comparable with the 2026 figure, but the survey independently shows that large numbers of black-headed ibises used the Naxalbari area in 2025.

Wetland and Nesting-Tree Loss Were Raised as Concerns

HNAF representatives and local forest staff linked the decline to loss of wetlands, paddy fields, natural vegetation and large nesting trees as construction and urban development expand. Forest staff noted that banyan and sacred fig trees formerly used for breeding have become scarcer, with only a few suitable trees remaining near the Khemchi River.

The 2026 census was organised with the Kurseong forest division, the Naxalbari unit of Paschimbanga Vigyan Mancha, the NSS unit of Naxalbari College and local organisations. The organisers called for protection of the remaining wetlands, farmland vegetation and breeding trees in the area.

Sources and image credit

  1. Banerjee, B. (2026, August 22). Decline in Black-headed ibis numbers raises concern among conservationists, forest officials. The Telegraph India.Main 2026 report based on direct statements from HNAF census participants and local forest staff. Around 190 black-headed ibises were counted in 2026, compared with around 350 in earlier annual counts; habitat and nesting-tree loss were identified by the interviewed conservationists and foresters as major concerns.
  2. Birdwatchers’ Society. (2025). Heronry Count 2025: Naksalbari and Khoribari.First-hand supporting count. Surveys on 13 July and 10 August 2025 recorded 370 black-headed ibises, including 85+ breeding pairs across seven nesting trees in the Naksalbari area.

Image: © Giles Laurent, gileslaurent.com — Black-headed Ibis in Keoladeo National Park, India, photographed 15 March 2023; Wikimedia Commons. Cropped representative image, not a bird from the 2026 Naxalbari census. · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

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