232 bird species spotted in bird survey in Coimbatore
The survey, conducted jointly by the forest division along with Coimbatore Nature Society (CNS), The Nature and Butterfly Society (TNBS) and WWF-India, was carried out in two phases this month.
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COIMBATORE: The synchronized bird survey carried out in 25 terrestrial locations in Coimbatore spotted 232 bird species in a direct count of 9,033.
The survey, conducted jointly by the forest division along with Coimbatore Nature Society (CNS), The Nature and Butterfly Society (TNBS) and WWF-India, was carried out in two phases this month.
Among the 25 terrestrial spots, 17 were within seven ranges of the division-Madukkarai, Boluvampatti, Coimbatore, Periyanaickenpalayam, Karamadai, Mettupalayam and Sirumugai. Also, four urban and four rural locations were considered for the exercise, said a statement issued by the Coimbatore Forest Division.
The population count was between 167 and 763 with an average of 361 bird count per location. The highest bird count was reported from Koothamandi and Gandhavayal (763), and Kovai Kutralam (724), followed by Panappalli and Kondanoor (643).
The number of bird species varied from 31 to 141 with an average of 60 species spotted in a location. The Koothamandi and Gandhavayal saw the highest bird species count of 141 and 115 at Kovai Kutralam.
Among the rural spots surveyed, Dhaliyur topped with 46 species, while IOC Colony topped with 64 species among urban locations.
“For the first time, night bird-watching sessions were held at select locations to record nocturnal birds. Of the ten species of nocturnal birds, four species were nightjars, five species of owls and Indian Thick-knee,” said D Boominathan of WWF India, who coordinated on behalf of the NGOs.
Among the 232 bird species, 207 are landbirds, while 25 are waterbirds. The direct count break up is 8,478 land birds, 555 water birds and 555 migrant birds. Of the 41 migrant species, three are water bird species. Birds with high direct counts include Yellow-billed Babbler, Red-vented Bulbul, Common Myna, House Crow, Indian Peafowl, Rose-ringed Parakeet, Black Drongo, White-browed Bulbul, and Red-whiskered Bulbul.
The forest department conducts the annual synchronized bird survey every year with the aim to institutionalise long-term monitoring of birds in the state. A total of 126 participants in 25 teams comprising birding experts, forest staff, birding enthusiasts, and students from various institutions took part in the exercise.
