Declining bird numbers in Rara worry conservationists

Bird numbers and types have plunged due to the decline in the number of migratory species.

Rara Lake, the country’s largest lake situated at an altitude of 2,990 metres above sea level, hosts a number of bird species such as partridges, red-legged partridges, nightingales, monals, kalij pheasants, chir pheasants and cuckoo, among others. But of late, the number of birds descending to the area has declined, say conservationists and local residents who witness the biannual migration of birds from close quarters.