Bhubaneswar | Over 4.21 lakh birds visited Hirakud reservoir in Odisha's Sambalpur district this winter, registering a significant increase from last year.

During the bird census at the reservoir covering 5.72 sq km of the power channel area upto the Chhattisgarh border, a total of 4,21,763 birds belonging to 128 species, including five new ones, were recorded, Hirakud Wildlife Division's DFO Anshu Pragyan Das said on Tuesday.

The three most numerous bird species were Tufted Duck (71,273), Lesser Whistling Duck (60,987) and Common Coot (51,665), she said.

The five new species sighted during the census were Ruddy Crake, Greater painted-snipe, Painted stork, Little Gull and Sanderling, Das said.

The Annual Mid-Winter Waterfowl Census-2026 in the Hirakud reservoir area was conducted by the Hirakud Wildlife Division on January 18. A total of 93 participants, including birding experts, forest officials, NGOs and school students, participated in the survey, she said.

Every year, thousands of winged guests from the Caspian Sea, Baikal Lake, Aral Sea, Mongolia, Central and Southeast Asia and the Himalayas make Hirakud reservoir their home from November to March.

More than 3.77 lakh birds of 122 species thronged the reservoir last winter. Similarly, over 3.42 lakh birds of 113 species were sighted in 2024, officials said.