Ringing and ornithological exploration in north-east Bangladesh wetlands

Weights and biometric information are presented for 1,582 birds of 66 species ringed during four joint Bangladesh bird club-The Wetland Trust expeditions to three wetland Important Bird Areas in north-east Bangladesh between March 2011 and March 2013. Comprehensive checklists of bird species recorded at each site, Hail Haor (including Baikka Beel), Pashua Haor and Tanguar Haor, are appended. The species caught and ringed included seven that were additions to the country's avifauna: Chestnut-crowned Bush Warbler Cettia major, Aberrant Bush Warbler C. flavolivacea, Grey-sided Bush Warbler C. brunnifrons, David's Bush Warbler Bradypterus davidi, Large-billed Reed Warbler Acrocephalus orinus, Oriental Reed Warbler A. orientalis and Sykes's Warbler lduna rama. The 11 Firethroats Luscinia pectardens caught and ringed suggest that this species is an annual winter visitor to the north-east of South Asia. These findings underscore the conservation importance of these major wetlands, all of which remain threatened by human exploitation. Only Baikka Beel and Tanguar Haor receive a measure of formal protection. Extending protection to reed, scrub and swamp forest habitats in all haors, especially Pashua Haor, which remains completely unprotected, is an urgent priority.