New Delhi [India], July 27 (ANI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday commended the first-ever grassland bird census held in Assam's Kaziranga National Park, which identified 43 bird species, including endangered species. The census, said the Prime Minsiter, illustrates how human effort and technology can do wonders in furthering nature conservation.

'It is very interesting to know what species of birds live around us. Recently, one such grand effort has been made in the Kaziranga National Park of Assam,' PM Modi said in the 124th edition of his monthly 'Mann ki Baat' programme.

'If you are asked how many kinds of birds there are, around you - what will you say? Perhaps that I see five to six birds everyday - some are familiar, some are unfamiliar,' he said.

The hidden world of rare and endangered birds quietly thrives in the area famed for its one-horned rhinos, royal Bengal tigers and elephants.

'For the first time, a Grassland Bird Census has been conducted here. You will be happy to know that on account of this Census, more than 40 species of birds have been identified. These include many rare birds. You must be wondering how so many birds were identified! Technology did wonders in this,' Prime Minsiter Modi detailed in his address.

He said that the team conducting the census installed sound recording devices, which were analysed on the computer. 'Artificial Intelligence was used. The birds were identified just by their sounds - that too without disturbing them. Imagine! When technology and sensitivity come together, understanding nature becomes so easy and deep.'

'We promote such efforts so that we can recognise our biodiversity and connect the next generation to it,' Prime Minister Modi urged listeners.

After the conclusion of PM Modi's Mann ki Baat address, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the Kaziranga Grassland Bird Survey had found 43 bird species living in the grasslands of Assam's national park, highlighting its rich biodiversity.

'Searching for small birds amidst the vast swathes of grasslands is akin to finding a needle in a haystack, but human determination coupled with tech has made this possible at the first Grassland Bird Survey in Kaziranga,' the Assam CM said in a post on his social media X account.

'As Adarniya PM Narendramodi ji described in his Mann Ki Baat today, Kaziranga's beauty is unparalleled and safely houses species which are endangered worldwide,' Sarma said.

'Gratitude to Hon'ble Prime Minister for appreciating the survey and letting the nation know about Assam's efforts in wildlife conservation and its natural beauty,' the Assam Chief Minister said.

Between March 18 and May 25, this year, wildlife researchers surveyed 185 grassland sites across Kaziranga, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Among the Once critically endangered (Bengal florican), two endangered (Finn's weaver locally known as tukura chorai and the swamp grass babbler) , six vulnerable (including the black-breasted parrotbill, marsh babbler, swamp francolin, Jerdon's babbler, slender-billed babbler and bristled grassbird), and one near-threatened species were recorded. (ANI)