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Khijadiya Bird Sanctuary in Jamnagar, Gujarat, has been identified as a major breeding site for the Black-necked Stork (Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus).
The study, by the Gujarat Ecological Education and Research (GEER) Foundation, was published in the Journal of Threatened Taxa on 27 July 2026.
Field surveys from July 2024 to March 2025 across 48 georeferenced sampling points recorded a peak seasonal population of 21 to 23 storks.
Four active nests were recorded in the October-December breeding phase; all succeeded, each pair producing two fledglings, for a total of eight juveniles.
Every monitored nest was built on Neltuma juliflora, an invasive tree known in Gujarat as gando baval, at heights of 3 to 4.5 metres.
Neltuma juliflora, known in Gujarat as gando baval, is an invasive tree widely targeted for removal because it displaces native vegetation and drains groundwater. The Khijadiya study found that every monitored Black-necked Stork nest was built on it, at heights of 3 to 4.5 metres. That creates a genuine management dilemma: clearing the invasive to restore native habitat would remove the structure the species is currently nesting on. It is a reminder that invasive-species management in a working ecosystem cannot be reduced to removal targets — what the invasive is currently doing for resident wildlife has to be replaced before it is taken away.
Simple Analogy: Demolishing an illegal building is straightforward until you find that families have been living in it for years.
Khijadiya Bird Sanctuary lies in Jamnagar district on the Gujarat coast, where freshwater from inland sources meets brackish water from the Gulf of Kachchh — the mix of habitats that supports both resident and migratory species. It was designated a Ramsar site of international importance on 2 February 2022, becoming India's 49th such site.
Conducted the field surveys and published the findings on the Black-necked Stork's breeding ecology at Khijadiya
Peer-reviewed international journal in which the study was published on 27 July 2026
GS Paper III > Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation; GS Paper I > Geography: distribution of natural resources
General Awareness > Environment and Current Affairs
General Awareness > Current Affairs
Scientific name of the Black-necked Stork, a large wading bird of the family Ciconiidae, listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN.
A wetland designated as of international importance under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands; Khijadiya was designated on 2 February 2022 as India's 49th.
An invasive tree species, formerly classified as Prosopis juliflora, known in Gujarat as gando baval.
A wetland that holds water for much but not all of the year; those 0.3 to 0.7 m deep supported successful stork nesting at Khijadiya.
Nest care shared by both parents, recorded at Khijadiya with partner replacement in 94% of foraging departures.