Nakhon Nayok fires endanger 200+ bird species, including black hawks

Bird conservation groups have expressed concern that the massive fires in rice fields in the Pak Phli district of Nakhon Nayok may have impacted hundreds of bird species, including migratory birds that rely on the rice fields as their natural breeding and feeding grounds.

Watcharavee Sriprasertsilp, an official with the Bird Conservation Society of Thailand (BCST), said today that while the burning of harvested rice fields is common, the fires earlier this week were unusually massive and devastating, potentially threatening more than 200 bird species.

Over 1,500 hectares of harvested fields burned this week, sending thick black smoke billowing into the sky. The smoke spread to Bangkok, worsening air pollution in the capital.

Among the affected birds are migratory species like the black hawk from Mongolia, which arrive in Pak Phli district every December and stay until March.

Watcharavee estimated the number of black hawks at about 3,000. These predators help rice farmers by feeding on field rats.

The BCST plans to conduct a bird population survey in mid-February to determine if the recent fires have affected the bird population and, if so, which species have been impacted.