Bhubaneswar, Jan 19: Chilika Lake has recorded an increase in bird population this year, with a notable rise in the number of migratory birds, according to the winter bird census conducted by the Chilika Wildlife Division on Sunday. Compared to last year, nearly 4,000 more foreign birds have arrived at the lake.

The census was carried out across five forest ranges under the Chilika division—Chilika, Balugaon, Tangi, Rambha and Satapada. A total of 133 personnel, divided into 22 groups, participated in the exercise, which was conducted from 6 am to 12 noon.

Officials said the census recorded 1,132,200 birds belonging to 196 species this year. Of these, 1,110,257 birds from 106 species were migratory, while 21,943 birds from 90 species were local residents.

In comparison, last year (2025) Chilika had recorded 1,127,228 birds of the same 196 species, including migratory birds from about 109 species. The current count shows an overall increase of 4,970 birds over the previous year.

Officials further noted that the population of Plain Martin and Bengal Bush Lark species was particularly high during this year’s count, indicating favourable conditions at the lake for migratory birds.