At least 32 water bird species are found thriving inside the monitoring site in Lake Mainit stretching across the towns of Jabonga and Kitcharao, highlighting the need for sustained ecological preservation.

“The census also recorded 12 new water bird species foraging and taking refuge inside the monitoring site in Lake Mainit,” Community Environment and Natural Resources Office in Tubay, Agusan del Norte (CENRO-Tubay) said in a statement Thursday.

It was referring to the Annual Asian Water Bird Census (AWC) launched on Wednesday, which is conducted during the second and third weeks of every January not only in the country but also in other parts of the world, particularly in Asia.

The top five water bird species with the highest number found inside the monitoring site in Lake Mainit include the Tufted Duck, Whiskered Tern, Intermediate Egret, Common Tern and the Javan Pond Heron.

“The census also recorded 12 new water bird species foraging and taking refuge inside the monitoring site in Lake Mainit,” the CENRO-Tubay said.

The new bird species include the Yellow Bittern, Purple Swamphen, Wood Swallow, White Throated Kingfisher, Philippine Duck, White Browed Crake, Common Tern, Slender-billed Crow, Swiftlets, Short-Billed Brown Dove, Olive Backed Sunbird, Yellow Vented Bulbul and Spotted Dove.

The CENRO-Tubay also took note of the decrease of the number of thriving bird species inside the sites this year compared to 2022.

“Last year’s total individual count was 44,508 water birds. We recorded an almost 17 percent of decrease in their number this year,” it said. (PNA)