
A rare leucistic Great Cormorant was spotted at Ameenpur Lake near BHEL in Hyderabad on 19 September 2026. The bird had unusually pale feathers, while the Great Cormorants around it showed the species’ usual dark plumage. The sighting was documented with photographs by Raghuvamsh Chavali, a Hyderabad-born Canadian birder.
The endangered black robin, also known as karure, was named New Zealand’s Bird of the Year on 21 September 2026. The competition was organised by Forest & Bird, and the black robin won after receiving more than 25,000 votes in a record turnout of 105,000 votes.
Namibian cheetah Gaurav, a 10-year-old male, died at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh on 21 September 2026 at around 4 p.m. He had been under treatment in a Quarantine Boma at Palpur for about 10 days after forest officials found him weak and dull on 12 September 2026.
A three-year-old female cheetah named CCB-2, originally from Botswana, was released into a protected enclosure at Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh on 20 September 2026. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav renamed the cheetah “Radha” during the release, which coincided with Radha Ashtami.
A new checklist of the flowering plants of the Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve in South India has recorded 3,261 species, 26 subspecies, and 28 varieties. The checklist was compiled by the Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute in Thiruvananthapuram and published in Plant Science Today in September 2026.
A yellow-bellied sea snake washed ashore at Crystal Cove in Orange County, California, in September 2026. It was the first reported appearance of the venomous species in the state since 2018. The species is an ocean-dwelling reptile that usually lives in tropical and subtropical waters.
India initiated its first direct benefit transfer payments for soil carbon credits on 16-17 September 2026 to more than 2,500 smallholder farmers in Punjab and Haryana. The payments totalled over ₹2.9 crore and were linked to verified carbon credits generated through regenerative farming practices under the Aadi farmer carbon programme.
Assam had 3,260 one-horned rhinoceroses as of September 2026, and this figure formed about 80% of the global population of the greater one-horned rhinoceros. The global population reached 4,075 individuals in 2026, while India had an estimated 3,323 rhinos and Nepal had around 752.
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change launched the India Net Zero Portal and the National Action Plan on Climate Change Dashboard on 16 September 2026 in Mumbai. Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Kirti Vardhan Singh launched the two digital platforms on World Ozone Day 2026.
The Odisha Forest Department rescued five young orangutans from the Ranakotha Protected Reserved Forest in the Bhograi block of Balasore district on 8 September 2026. The rescued primates included three males and two females, and officials transferred them to Nandankanan Zoological Park in Bhubaneswar for quarantine and care.
Buellia maharajensis, a new saxicolous lichen species, was discovered in Mathikettan Shola National Park in Idukki district, Kerala. The species was recorded at an elevation of about 1,351 metres and was named in tribute to Maharaja’s College, Ernakulam, on its 150th anniversary.
The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change organised Swachh Vayu Diwas 2026 in New Delhi on 7 September 2026 and conferred the 5th Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan Awards. The event marked the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies and recognised cities and wards under the Swachh Vayu Sarvekshan framework.