About Gilgit District
District Brief
The Gilgit District is bounded on the north by the Nagar District, on the east by Shigar and Skardu Districts, on the south by Diamer and Astore Districts, and on the west by the Ghizer District. Land area of Gilgit District is about 3,580 sq. kms. Like Nagar, Gilgit district also falls under montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregion, defined by dry alpine zones & glaciers, with patches of alpine meadows and alpine scrub. Naltar, Bagrote and Haramosh valleys and southern parts of Gilgit have some temperate coniferous forests. Overall the district has less than 7.5% land under forest or tree cover (including farm forests and plantations), with 26% of the land comprising of alpine and winter pastures. Only 1.7% of the land is used for agricultural and settlement purposes. 65% of the remaining land area is either barren or permanently snow covered.Avian Diversity
Due to its diverse ecology, about 288 bird species are found in the district, with the highest number (150 species) being Passeriformes (perching birds). This group mainly consists of a variety of flycatchers, finches, warblers, corvids, buntings, redstarts and pipits, with some lowland species. Waterfowl in the district are 16 ducks & geese species, 29 waders, 9 gulls & terns, with additional 23 species of crakes, grebes, egrets and herons. In terms of predatory birds there are up to 19 hawks & eagles, 5 vultures, 6 owls and 5 falcon species in the region. Other birds in the region include 6 pheasant and 7 pigeon & dove species, with some woodpeckers, swifts and others.
Other: 20
Pheasants: 6
Raptors & Owls: 35
Water Birds: 77
Perching Birds: 150
Birds Checklist for Gilgit District
Anseriformes (Ducks and Geese)
Galliformes (Pheasants and Allies)
Podicipediformes (Grebes)
Ciconiiformes (Storks)
Suliformes (Cormorants)
Pelecaniformes (Egrets and Bitterns)
Pelecaniformes (Ibises and Spoonbills)
Accipitriformes (Hawks, Eagles and Vultures)
Otidiformes (Bustards)
Gruiformes (Rails and Coots)
Gruiformes (Cranes)
Charadriiformes (Stilts and Allies)
Charadriiformes (Plovers and Lapwings)
Charadriiformes (Sandpipers, Snipes and Allies)
Charadriiformes (Gulls and Terns)
Columbiformes (Pigeons and Doves)
Cuculiformes (Cuckoos)
Strigiformes (Owls)
Caprimulgiformes (Nightjars and Swifts)
Bucerotiformes (Hoopoes)
Coraciiformes (Kingfishers, Bee-eaters and Rollers)
Piciformes (Woodpeckers)
Falconiformes (Falcons)
Psittaciformes (Old World Parrots)
Passeriformes (Cuckooshrikes)
Passeriformes (Shrikes)
Passeriformes (Old World Orioles)
Passeriformes (Drongos)
Passeriformes (Fairy Flycatchers)
Passeriformes (Crows, Jays and Magpies)
Passeriformes (Larks)
Passeriformes (Swallows and Martins)
Passeriformes (Tits and Long-tailed Tits)
Passeriformes (Nuthatches)
Passeriformes (Wall and Treecreepers)
Passeriformes (Wrens and Dippers)
Passeriformes (Bulbuls)
Passeriformes (Kinglets and Bush-Warblers)
Passeriformes (Leaf Warblers)
Passeriformes (Reed-Warblers and Allies)
Passeriformes (Sylviid Warblers)
Passeriformes (White-eyes)
Passeriformes (Laughingthrushes)
Passeriformes (Old World Flycatchers)
Passeriformes (Old World Redstarts)
Passeriformes (Chats and Wheatears)
Passeriformes (Thrushes)
Passeriformes (Starlings)
Passeriformes (Accentors)
Passeriformes (Wagtails and Pipits)
Passeriformes (Buntings)
Passeriformes (Finches and Allies)
Passeriformes (Old World Sparrows)
This website is a joint effort of Forest, Parks and Wildlife Department, Government of Gilgit-Baltistan and Birds of Gilgit-Baltistan (an indigenous private initiative)
to highlight the diverse birdlife found in the region. All the maps, imagery and photographs in this book are provided by the mentioned individuals or entities with appropriate
permissions for public use, Government of Gilgit-Baltistan upholds the copyright of these material on behalf of the owners.
birds of gilgit-baltistan
