During the last winter season, whenbirdersset out on their annualbirding expeditionacross Goa, they were delighted to have spotted four new species in the state. This has taken the number of listedbirdsfound in Goa to 481, which is almost 37% of the tally of birds listed across India, though it is the smallest state in terms of geographical area.<\/p>\n
Malabar starling, chestnut winged cuckoo, great bittern and white browed fantail are the newest bird presence recorded in the state.<\/p>\n
Goas recorded bird species roughly constitute 5% of the total 10,000-odd bird species listed globally.
Compare the geographically tiny states 481 to the 525 bird species listed in the vast state of Karnataka. This has helped make Goa a popular destination with birdwatchers from India and abroad.
Peru has the largest number of birds listed for any country in the world with its count standing at 2,000, while the recorded bird species in India are between 1,200 and 1,300, of which Goa has nearly 481.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"