More birds make Thattekkad their abode

Ornithologists to confirm 50 bird species of sanctuary; Journal of Bombay Natural History Society to publish list

Despite a recently observed dip in bird population, 50 more species are in line for confirmation as inhabitants of the Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary, possibly this year. Once confirmed by the community of ornithologists, the number of species in the popular bird sanctuary will go up to 322 from the 272 published in December 1996.

The paper on the list of newly-spotted bird species has been submitted to the Journal of Bombay Natural History Society for publication, said R. Sugathan, ornithologist at the Bird Monitoring Cell of the bird sanctuary.

He said that the list of avian species waiting for confirmation included the Malabar pied hornbill as well as nine warblers; four flycatchers; two cuckoos and a snipe. Warblers and flycatchers are tiny birds, difficult to spot, said Dr. Sugathan. He said that there was a generally observed dip in bird population in the sanctuary of late. “It is nothing discouraging and could be temporary”, he said citing some of the reasons that could be behind the development.

Wetlands dry last year

Large swathes of wetlands close to the Thattekkad sanctuary depending on the Bhoothathankettu reservoir went dry for a long period last year. Besides, annual maintenance work on the reservoir, usually carried out in 45 days to three months, took six months this year. Both of the developments affected the 32 species of water birds in the sanctuary.

Global warming too has had its impact on the bird population, said Dr. Sugathan pointing out the variations noticed in the flowering, fruiting and new leaf formation in the flora. The phenological changes have serious consequences especially when they coincide with the season of bird migration.

At the same time, there is good news for birders. The Malabar pied hornbill and the great Indian hornbill were making a come back to Thattekkad, thanks largely to habitat re-creation efforts, he said. There is also a noticeable increase of the population of Ceylon frogmouths within the sanctuary. Dr. Sugathan said that around 50 pairs of the species had been spotted of late.