India, Feb. 18 -- Bird enthusiasts spotted as many as 271 species on Sunday in Mumbai, Thane, and other parts of Maharashtra at the 21st annual bird-watching exercise, Wings, formerly known as the Mumbai BirdRace. Of these, 215 were spotted in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) alone, a slight decrease from the previous year's count of 237.

The slight decrease is not much of a cause for concern, said Sunjoy Monga, naturalist, bird expert and one of the key coordinators of the event. The count in previous years was 250 (2022), 189 (2021), 192 (2020), and 234 (2019).

"What is particularly of concern is the lower number of most bird species being sighted and reported," said Monga. "This includes both the resident and migratory species. O...