Source: Times of India
Context: Assam’s Laokhowa Wildlife Sanctuary recorded its first-ever sighting of the rare migratory Smew (Mergellus albellus) during the 7th Kaziranga Waterbird Count 2026 — alongside sightings of the critically endangered Bengal Florican.
What It Is
- A protected area spanning 70.13 sq km
- Part of the contiguous Laokhowa-Burhachapori ecosystem
- An officially notified buffer zone of Kaziranga Tiger Reserve
- An essential wildlife migration corridor in the central Brahmaputra floodplain
Location
- District: Nagaon, central Assam
- Position: on the southern bank of the Brahmaputra River
Surrounded by
- Kaziranga National Park to the east
- Orang National Park and Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary to the west
- Pakke-Nameri to the north
- Karbi Anglong hills to the south
The Two Birds in the News
- Smew (Mergellus albellus) — a small migratory diving duck that breeds in northern Europe and Asia and winters further south. Its appearance this far south and east is unusual, which is why the sighting was recorded as a first.
- Bengal Florican — Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, a grassland bird found in the Brahmaputra floodplains and the Terai. It is among India’s most threatened birds, and its presence indicates intact tall grassland habitat.
