How an Overlooked Konkan District Emerged as a 400+ Species Birding Hotspot

At daybreak in Sindhudurg, the air carries a soft chorus — the distant call of a hornbill, the chatter of barbets, the sudden flutter of wings rising from mist-covered wetlands. The Western Ghats descend gently here into the Arabian Sea, shaping a landscape where forests, plateaus, lakes, and coastlines meet. For those who know where to look — and listen — this quiet district reveals a spectacle that is anything but ordinary. In the lush embrace of Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg district, a quiet revolution unfolded during the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) 2025. Over three days in mid-February...