Not too long ago, Bengalureans woke up to the chirping of sparrows or the plaintive call of the koel. Today, the honking of vehicles has replaced it. The city's rapid growth has taken a toll on biodiversity, particularly on birds.

Birds have always called our city home, especially in the early 80s and 90s, when the city was still known as a pensioners' paradise. The Annotated Checklist of the Birds of Bangalore, compiled in 1994, documents the presence of nearly 340 species within a 50 km radius of the city.

The list compiled by the Birdwatchers' Field Club of Bangalore included species such as the Barred Jungle Owlet (Glaucidium radiatum), reported from areas including Rajajinagar in 1979 and Doresanipalya in 1986. Today, this species is likely found only in patches of forest in Bannerg

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