In Search of White-winged Wood Duck: Assam’s State Bird on Brink of Extinction

“Haven’t seen them for a long time now,” said the man gathering fuelwood on the periphery of the forest. How long? I asked. “Don’t remember!” replied the younger of the two men.

It was our second day at the Soraipung Range under the Digboi Division of Dehing Patkai National Park. The young man’s response came as a bitter disappointment after days of toil to trace the elusive white-winged wood duck (Asarcornis scutulata). A tour guide had informed us of a recent sighting near the Bomgodam area. However, our search in all known sighting spots yielded no results.

Dehing Patkai National Park, a key protected area known to house the species, proved frustratingly unpredictable. In fact, the bulk of the duck’s population is concentrated in the upper Dihing Reserve Forest. Other major strongholds in India include Dibru-Saikhowa and Nameri National Parks in Assam, and Namdapha National Park in Arunachal Pradesh. Dibru-Saikhowa, in fact, received its first recognition as a wildlife sanctuary in 1986, with the white-winged wood duck as the targeted species for conservation.

Once widely distributed across Northeast India and Bangladesh, and throughout Southeast Asia to Java and Sumatra, the population of the white-winged wood duck has plummeted over the years to its current critical status. In 2002, the global population was estimated at around 800, with more than half—about 450—found in India, Bangladesh, and Burma.

Alarming Decline

Birds are losing their habitats to human development at alarming rates. More than half of the world’s bird species are now in decline, or as Ian Burfield of BirdLife International has put it, “Three in five of the world’s bird species have declining populations.” The updated Red List of BirdLife International assessed 11,185 species worldwide and found that 11.5% are globally threatened. The report, unveiled at the IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025, showed that 61% of assessed species have shrinking populations, mostly due to habitat loss.

The white-winged wood duck is Assam’s State Bird and is locally known as Deohanh. The future of the State Bird is at stake owing to a rapidly declining population across its range. It is now categorised as Critically Endangered by BirdLife International on the IUCN Red List. A recent survey found the species to be at the threshold of extinction. Preliminary estimates from the latest survey carried out in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh by the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) suggest that only around 300 individuals remain in Northeast India.

Noted ornithologist Anwaruddin Choudhury, who pioneered studies on the species, has put the number below 200 in Assam. The decline has largely been attributed to the “widespread loss, degradation, and disturbance of their riverine habitats.” Hunting, collection of eggs and chicks, and loss of genetic variability are other factors contributing to the rapid decline in their population.

This large duck species occurs in dense tropical evergreen forests near rivers and swamps. Many locals we spoke to near Soraipung blamed the duck’s vulnerability on oil extraction activities in the area. “These operations—digging, drilling, noise, and increased human activity—leave these shy birds with no option but to move to other suitable habitats for breeding,” said a local resident requesting anonymity. “Frankly speaking, I haven’t come across any pair for a long time now,” he added.

Habitat loss and fragmentation have dealt a major blow to the species. Oil contamination has also proved fatal. “There have been incidents where these ducks were found trapped in pits used in oil production. They are waterfowl and are attracted to these contaminated waterholes and pits. I once worked for the forest department. It was really painful to retrieve their lifeless bodies from the sticky sludge,” he recalled.

Giving precedence to extractive industries over natural forests is regressive. The gradual destruction of a biodiversity-rich rainforest like Dehing Patkai, and the plight of the white-winged wood duck, call for balancing resource needs with environmental protection through biodiversity management plans, including clearly defined “no-go” zones.

Efforts in Captive Breeding

The alarming decline over the years has prompted several efforts to conserve the species through captive breeding. On March 20, 2022, two captive-bred pairs of white-winged wood ducks arrived in Assam from Zoo Zlín in the Czech Republic, where dozens of these shy birds have been housed. Capturing the species from the wild is prohibited, and no other zoo in India currently houses them.

Forest officials therefore sought progeny from European populations, descendants of birds originally taken from this region by European tea planters. The Assam State Zoo-cum-Botanical Garden received the ducks for a breeding programme aimed at establishing a local captive population for conservation and research.

As part of a broader conservation effort, the goal of the programme has been to create a population suitable for release into the wild. However, of the four ducks, one male died, according to the Divisional Forest Officer of the zoo, Ashwini Kumar, IFS. Although the first set of eggs turned out to be infertile, officials remain hopeful of hatchlings in the near future.

Earlier, in the 1990s, WWF Project 406 (the White-winged Wood Duck Conservation Project) and Aaranyak invested considerable effort in conserving the species and its habitat along the Assam–Arunachal Pradesh border.

Restoring ecosystem health could help put shrinking populations on a path to recovery. The Rodrigues Warbler, endemic to Rodrigues Island in Mauritius, recovered from a Critically Endangered status in 1996 to Least Concern today through native forest restoration, partnerships, and sustained conservation efforts.

Restoration of degraded habitats—forests, swamps, wetlands, and riverine areas—is vital for the recovery of the white-winged wood duck. Anwaruddin Choudhury has emphasised the need to protect the Dehing-Patkai landscape, with special attention to areas such as the Doomdooma and Dangori Reserve Forests, which are crucial for this shy and large duck species.

Equally important is strengthening education and awareness about the ecological significance of the species and the need to protect its habitat, while balancing conservation goals with the needs of local communities.

The WTI survey forms part of a broader initiative aimed at bridging information gaps and implementing a long-term recovery plan in collaboration with multiple stakeholders.