Advances in Zoology and Botany Vol. 11(3), pp. 181 - 193
DOI: 10.13189/azb.2023.110304
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An Updated Checklist of Avifauna from Melselvanoor-Keelselvanoor Bird Sanctuary, Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nādu, India

Byju H ^1,*, Raveendran N ², S. Ravichandran ^1
1 Centre of Advanced Study in Marine Biology, Annamalai University, India
² Iragukal Amritha Nature Trust, India

ABSTRACT

An updated checklist of birds was documented from the Melselvanoor-Keelselvanoor bird sanctuary (MKBS) in the Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu. The study was done in MKBS from January 2016 to December 2019. The current study documented 115 bird species from 19 orders and 51 families. Among the families, Ardeidae (11 species) was dominant, followed by Accipitridae (7 species), Anatidae (5 species), and Alcedinidae, Cuculidae, Columbidae, Rallidae, Scolopacidae, Threskiornithidae, and Cesticolidae (4 species each) dominated the avifauna of the region. The study recorded four globally Near Threatened species -Darter Anhinga melanogaster, Painted Stork Mycteria leucocephala, Blackheaded Ibis Threskiornis melanocephalus, and Spot-billed Pelican Pelecanus philippensis, and One Vulnerable species Indian Spotted eagle Clanga hastala according to the IUCN Redlist category. The observed frequency of the bird species varies as follows: n=58 (50.43%) was common; n=47 (40.86%) was uncommon and n=10 (8.69%) was rare. Categorization based on the residential status of birds revealed that 83% (n=96) were resident, 16% (n=18) were winter, and one species was a passage migrant (Rosy Starling Pastor roseus). This study shows the value of the MKBS for bird conservation and offers baseline data for long-term protection of the wetland avifauna in the bird sanctuary.

KEYWORDS
Wetlands, Waterbirds, Gulf of Mannar Biosphere, Heronry, Shorebirds

Cite This Paper in IEEE or APA Citation Styles
(a). IEEE Format:
[1] Byju H , Raveendran N , S. Ravichandran , "An Updated Checklist of Avifauna from Melselvanoor-Keelselvanoor Bird Sanctuary, Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nādu, India," Advances in Zoology and Botany, Vol. 11, No. 3, pp. 181 - 193, 2023. DOI: 10.13189/azb.2023.110304.

(b). APA Format:
Byju H , Raveendran N , S. Ravichandran (2023). An Updated Checklist of Avifauna from Melselvanoor-Keelselvanoor Bird Sanctuary, Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nādu, India. Advances in Zoology and Botany, 11(3), 181 - 193. DOI: 10.13189/azb.2023.110304.