The annual conduct of the Asian Waterbird Census (AWC) for 2023 is scheduled on January 7 to 22, 2023.
The AWC is an annual event and takes place once a year, during the second and third weeks of January. The census was initiated in 1987 in the Indian subcontinent, and has grown rapidly to cover 26 countries of South Asia, East Asia, South East Asia, Pacific, as well as Russia Far East. The Wetlands International coordinates the Asian Waterbird Census (AWC). The AWC runs parallel to other international census of waterbirds in Africa, Europe and Neotropics under the International Waterbird Census (IWC) umbrella. Waterbirds counted during the census include all types of waterbirds regularly encountered at wetlands, including, grebes, cormorants, pelicans, herons, egrets, storks, ibises, spoonbills, flamingoes, ducks, geese, swans, cranes, rails, jacanas, shorebirds gulls, terns. In addition, raptors, kingfishers and other wetland-dependent birds are covered. Count data is entered onto standardized count forms.
Participants:
The census is primarily carried out by volunteers from all walks of life: university and school
staff and students, nature club members, amateur and professional ornithologists,
government and non-governmental agencies related to forestry, wildlife or wetland
conservation and others.
Wetland Sites:
Sites covered during the census include all types of natural and man-made wetlands,
including, rivers, lakes, reservoirs, ponds, freshwater swamps, mangroves, mudflats, coral
reefs, rice fields and sewage farms, etc. site data is entered onto standardized site forms.
Waterbird Species: