Chennai: In the massive synchronized bird census carried out across the State in two phases in the month of March this year, 5,52,349 wetland birds belonging to 397 species in 934 locations and 2,32,519 terrestrial birds belonging to 401 species in 1093 locations were counted, a press release from the principal chief conservator of forests said on Thursday.The exercise, initiated in 2023 by the State government with the view to protecting and conserving avifaunal diversity, had been continuing since then and this year the census laid special emphasis to document endangered and nocturnal birds which, in the process, led to the spotting 26 of the 37 endangered species in Tamil Nadu. Birds were sensitive, indicator organisms that played a crucial part in a healthy ecosystem and their long-term monitoring would not only help record their presence but also help observe other critical habitats and threat factors enabling better planning and designing strategies for conservation of avian diversity and their habitats, the release said. The synchronized census was conducted among wetland birds (both inland and coastal wetlands) on 8 and 9 of March and among terrestrial birds (both inside and outside protected areas) on 15 and 16 March, the release said. The forest department had been conducting the state-level monitoring since 2023 in various habitats while the monitoring in bird sanctuaries and conservation reserves was a continuous exercise, the release said. The migratory bird season in Tamil Nadu usually began with the onset of the North East monsoon in October and continued till April and of the total 5,52,349 wetland species spotted this year, 1,13,606 of them were migratory birds and 49% of them were in the coastal districts. Little egret, Little cormorant, Asian openbill, Black headed Ibis, Glossy Ibis and Indian pond Heron were the most common birds sighted among resident species while Greylag Goose, Greater Flamingo, Eurasian Curlew, Pied Avocet, Lesser Crested Tern and Eurasian Spoonbill were the most common migratory birds. Of the 2,32,519 terrestrial species counted in the estimation, 1,13,606 of them were migratory birds. House crow, Common Myna, Rose Ringed Parakeet, Rose Vented Bulbul, Yellow-billed Babbler, Asian Palm Swift, Black Drango, Little Egret, Indian Peafowl, Spotted Dove were the most common birds sighted, the release said. ‘This year the census has been done in the month of March towards the end of the migratory season, with the objective of spreading bird counts in different months of the season, so that a fairly good assessment is made over a period of time for bird sightings during various months,’ the release said. While the Tamil Nadu Forest Department allowed volunteers to participate in this exercise, the compilation and analysis of data was done only by a team of experts. In coming months, the voluminous data collected would be further analysed to get much deeper insights into spatiotemporal variations across the state, the release added.
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