DEHRADUN: With 195 bird species inhabiting its 300-acre land area, Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India (WII) has emerged as the research campus with the highest number of bird species in the country followed by the Forest Research Institute (FRI) campus, also in

Dehradun

, and the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) at Tirupati in

.

The volunteer-led survey was part of the worldwide Great Backyard Bird Count (

) which was first started in 1998 by the Cornell Lab of

and National Audubon Society in the US. A sub-event, Campus Bird Count (CBC), was launched in 2013.

In India, 173 campuses in 21 states/union territories were surveyed from February 15 to 18 this year and 535 bird species were identified.

While 179 bird species were identified in the FRI campus, IISER in Andhra Pradesh boasted of 155 species, Kerala Agricultural University in Thrissur was home to 143 and SSN Institutions in Kancheepuram, Tamil Nadu had 125 species.

Experts said that the 300-acre WII campus was the top choice for several bird species as it provided them with different types of habitats such as Sal forest, a lake, streams and open grassland.

Director of WII, V B Mathur, told TOI, “Some species like the Stripe-throated Yuhina and Brown-fronted Woodpecker were spotted here for the first time. The findings show that protected environment can provide shelter to many species facing threat from humans.”

Some experts said that sightings of new species could indicate that several species were moving to new habitats as rapid urbanisation may be driving them away from their traditional habitats.