White Bellied Heron

Bhutan is home to nearly 50 per cent of the global White-bellied Heron population locally known as Chubja. This heron is classified as Critically Endangered because it has an extremely small and rapidly declining population with fewer than 60 herons left in the world today. The Phochhu and Mochhu river basins are one of the habitats where many White-bellied Herons are found. However, according to the 2021 population survey for the endangered bird species, not a single endangered bird was sighted in these places last year.

The Royal Society for Protection of Nature (RSPN) spotted 22 herons during the 2021 White-bellied Heron population survey across the country which has decreased by five compared to the 27 in the previous year.