According to the 2011 report of the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (NPWC) and Bird Conservation Nepal (BCN), 149 species of birds have been listed in the threatened list.

“There has been no let up in human activities and the bird habitat is dwindling. Not much effort is being put for conservation. It is only inevitable if the list of threatened bird species have become longer by now,” said Hemraj Baral, an ornithologist.     

The Zoological Society of London, National Trust for Nature Conservation and Himalayan Nature are jointly conducting a survey to find out the number of bird species in the country. The preliminary study suggests as many as 170 species could fall in the threatened list.    

Sushila Neupane, chief executive director of BCN, said nearly 84 percent of the threatened bird species had reached the endangered state solely due to habitat loss.  

Random use of underground water, unmanaged drainage system and unchecked sand excavation are causing degradation of bird habitat in most parts of the country. In wetland areas, growth of invasive plants like water hyacinth, use of toxic chemicals while fishing and water pollution are considered the major threats to bird habitat.  

In 1999, the government had listed 133 species of birds in the threatened list. The number in 2004 increased to 143 and to 149 in 2011.