On the recommendations of renowned Ornithologist Dr. (Late) Salim Ali in 1973, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi sanctioned an adhoc project entitled Biology and Control of Bird Pests in Andhra Pradesh Agricultural University (APAU), Hyderabad for a period of seven years under Cess Fund Scheme(CFS). The main objectives were to develop bird control strategies and also to evaluate the beneficial and economical aspects in terms of agricultural production and storage. Realizing the importance of birds in the national economy due to its influence on agricultural crop production, All India Co-ordinated Research Project on Economic Ornithology was launched in 1982 at National level with five centres located at Gujarat Agricultural University, Anand; PAU, Ludhiana; Rajasthan University, Kota; IARI New Delhi and Andhra Pradesh Agricultural University (Hyderabad) aiming management of harmful and beneficial birds in agricultural ecosystem. Dr.N. Shivnarayan was appointed as the first Co-oridator of the project with a head quarter of the project established at Andhra Pradesh Agricultural University,Hyderabad. Economic ornithology, the science of birds in relation to human interists is a new and evolving branch of animal science, the applied aspect of which are not properly understood. The pestiferous role of birds is of great concern in developing country like ours where the economy is capatically dependent on agricultural production and any factor(s) that brings about a reduction in the production has to be viewed seriously and warrants appropriate action and this was one of the broad objective of the project.

             On the recommendations of the QRT during 1990 the project was re-named as All India Network Project on Agricultural Ornithology to widen the scope of research areas and established two new research centres at Solan and Trisur in the states of Himach Pradesh and Kerala, respectively. This project has given an impetus to the scientists to undertake research on applied ornithology and device various protection technologies under different agro-ecological regions of the country in relation to cropping pattern and bird depredation. In a view to widen the scope of research on higher vertebrates; in 12th plan 2010, ICAR has merged the rodents and ornithology projects and formed All India Network Project on Vertebrate Pest Management in which research on Agricultural Ornithology, Rodent Control and Higher Vertebrates which include blue bull,wild boar, monkey etc. At present, the project head quarter is located at Central Arid Zone Research Institute (CAZRI), Jodhpur with the coordinating cell. In Gujarat, the work on Agricultural Ornithology started at Anand under Gujarat Agricultural University (now known as Anand Agricultural University) and under operation at Biological control Building under ICAR Cell, Unit-9.