India, Oct. 10 -- 1India has witnessed a decline in many bird species over the past two decades. What are the principal factors driving this decline? It is a combination of factors. The major reason is habitat destruction and habitat deterioration. Hunting and trapping are much reduced in most of the better-governed states, but still rampant in some states of north and northeast India. To these ongoing factors, we now have added a network of high-tension wires and windmills that kill millions of birds a year, from cranes, bustards and eagles to small passerine ones. Most of these killings go undetected. Bird carcasses also deteriorate fast, leaving little evidence. I have seen about three dozen vultures and eagles lying below high-tension wires in Jaisalmer in 10 days of my survey, and I know of 8 to 10 cases of sarus cranes being killed by high-tension wires in Uttar Pradesh. Windmills also kill thousands of birds. Solar-panel farms take up large areas and destroy or alter habitats. Electricity generated via the solar panels is carried by high-tension wires to the national grid, and both can create a problem for wildlife. To some species, solar panels look like simmering water at night, so birds and insects land on them, and are killed or injured. Such issues are not studied so well in India. If my book generates interest and helps in policy changes, I will consider it a success. 2How can bird deaths be minimised? We have solutions that can minimise such bird and bat deaths by 70% to 80%, but we need decisions at the highest levels. For example, colouring one blade of a windmill helps birds detect it. We can also use AI to alert windmill operators when a flock of birds is nearing. Putting bird deflectors on high-tension wires, and using underground wires on migratory paths of birds, helps minimise deaths too. Glass buildings that are totally unsuited to our tropical climate are fast coming up in India. Studies in the US, Europe and Japan show that hundreds of thousands of birds are killed or injured after hitting glass panes that reflect trees (on the lower floors) and the sky and clouds (on the upper floors of tall buildings). The confused birds think they are flying towards trees or in the clear sky, and are killed after they hit the panes. There are solutions to minimise bird hits, but these solutions and alterations should become a policy framework when a glass-facade building is being built. 3Vultures feed on animal carcasses, and their populations have declined dramatically. Why is the loss of vultures both an ecological and a public-health concern? Vultures, like other groups of animals, are an integral part of the ecological web that keeps the environment liveable. Their near- absence has increased the chances of the spread of disease, particularly in rural areas, and resulted in an increase in dog numbers. We need to bring vultures back to restore the ecological balance....