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Site description (2004 baseline):

Kurseala lies at the confluence of the Ganga and Koshi rivers. From Naugachhia to Kursela on the national highway NH-8, a stretch of about 16 km has been designated as an IBA. It extends from Diyara floodplain from Naugachhia to Kurseala on its southern side till the margin of River Ganga.

AVIFAUNA: Though no systematic survey has been carried out in the area, globally threatened species that frequent it may include the Oriental White-backed vulture Gyps bengalensis, Lesser Adjutant Leptoptilos javanicus, Pallas’s Fish Eagle Haliaeetus leucoryphus and Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni. Six Greater Adjutants Leptoptilos dubius were seen by the Kursi River near Kurseala in April 1988 (Rahmani et al. 1990). The site is also thought to hold on a regular basis over 20,000 waterbirds (Arvind Mishra pers. comm. 2001). As the site is Data Deficient and the area is not properly defined, we have kept it as an optional IBA. Surveys are required to investigate the present status of threatened and common species, and congregations, and also to demarcate the exact area that should be considered as IBA.

OTHER KEY FAUNA: The rare and endangered Gangetic Dolphin Platanista gangetica inhabits the river.

MAIN THREATS: Poaching and poisoning of birds; Agricultural intensification and expansion; Human disturbance.

The area has not been thoroughly surveyed. The boundaries of the IBA also need to be defined. Extensive human activities are reported from the area, as there are several villages on the banks of the River Ganga. The margins of the lake are under cultivation. Birds are poached on a massive scale, by various methods including poisoning (Arvind Mishra pers. comm. 2001).

Key contributors: Arvind Mishra and IBA team.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2025) Important Bird Area factsheet: Kurseala River Course and Diyara Floodplain (India). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/kurseala-river-course-and-diyara-floodplain-iba-india on 17/01/2025.