The white winged wood duck, the state bird of Assam, may be in danger of going extinct. Only about 300 birds may remain in Northeast India, according to preliminary estimates from the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), which is conducting a survey of the species in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
The survey is a component of a WTI project that intends to close the information gap and develop and implement a long term recovery plan in cooperation with specialists, local stakeholders, and the forest department.
Less than 200 white winged wood ducks may exist in Assam, according to conservationist Anwaruddin Choudhury, who led research on the species. "In recent years, their numbers have significantly decreased. He stated that it is improbable that Assam currently has more than 200 of these ducks.
The population of ducks has decreased from approximately 350 in 1990 to less than 200 by 2021, according to projections in his most recent book.
The majority of the population is currently concentrated in the Upper Dihing (west block) Reserve Forest in the Tinsukia region. Out of the 13 habitats in the state, Nameri is the only one where the number somewhat increased.
BirdLife International also uses Choudhury's numbers in its publications. In the past, the bird's wide range included portions of the western Indonesian archipelago, nearly all of Southeast Asia, and much of eastern South Asia.
The bird is currently extinct in many of these range states. Over the last three generations, the world's population has decreased by more than 80%, and there are still some dispersed communities in Sumatra, Cambodia, northern Myanmar, and western Thailand.
Its strongholds include Nameri National Park and Eastern Assam. Currently, the most significant habitats for the species in eastern Assam are the nearby forests of Upper Dihing RF and Dihing Patkai National Park.
Other locations are the Sonai-Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary, the Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary, Nambor, Doomdooma, Dangori, Torani, Burhi-Dihing, and Lumding RFs.
Choudhury noted in his book, "The occurrence of the species has become doubtful in many areas where there were past records, including the Barak valley region, due to habitat change."
According to BirdLife International, there are numerous factors contributing to the species' decline, including hunting, egg harvesting, deforestation, pollution, degradation, and disturbance of wetland habitats in forests.
According to BirdLife International's 2024 assessment, this species' small and dispersed population has led to its classification as "critically endangered" in the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List.
To promote additional conservation efforts, the Assamese government designated the white winged wood duck as the "State Bird of Assam" in 2003.
