Avifaunal Diversity On The Banks Of River Cauvery, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India
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AEGAEUM JOURNAL ISSN NO: 0776-3808
Avifaunal Diversity On The Banks Of River Cauvery,
Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India
Dr. R. Carlton1*, Parvadha Vardhini S2 & Bernice Dorothy Samuel3
Assistant Professor1
Department of Environmental Sciences, Bishop Heber College, Tiruchirappalli.
Post Graduate Students2,3
Department of Environmental Sciences, Bishop Heber College, Tiruchirappalli.
Corresponding Email: carltonjune@gmail.com
Abstract
Aquatic environments provide critical habitat to a wide variety of
bird species which are a part of the balance of nature, indicators of the quality of
the environment and are sensitive to habitat change. The present study focuses to
find the species diversity of aquatic birds along river Cauvery at Tiruchirappalli.
Point count and road side count methods were applied for achieving the purpose.
34 species aquatic birds have been recorded from the study area. Among the 34
species recorded 19 species of large waders, 6 species of small waders, 3 species
of divers and 3 species of Terns and 3 species of kingfishers were identified.
during study, great thick knee (NT) and western reef heron which is usually found
only in coastal area were recorded . The occurrence of 12 migratory birds
demands for the protection and prevention of threatening activities observed in
the region of the banks of the river Cauvery.
Key words: Aquatic birds, river Cauvery, Tiruchirappalli.
Introduction
Birds are important part in any ecosystem and they act as biological indicators
to understand the value of environment. Some birds are considered keystone
species as their presence in (or disappearance from) an ecosystem affects other
species indirectly. Bird diversity has been decreasing due to the destruction of
natural surroundings and anthropogenic activities in many regions. Very few
studies have been done on bird diversity at Cauvery river banks at Tiruchirappalli.
The current study was carried out to assess the diversity of aquatic birds. The
selected study area have varied habitats near the river with agricultural lands and
smaller water bodies leading to formation of marshy habitat. The present study
helps to prepare a baseline data on s p ec i es diversity on aquatic birds.
Significance of the Study
Diversity of fishes at Grand Anicut (Balasundaram et al. 1999), diversity
of phytoplankton in Cauvery river at Thanjavur (Babu et al. 2014) and diversity
of birds in this area had been done only in 2016. (Manjula Menon, 2016).
Pertaining to limited studies the present pursued study on avifauna at Kallanai
region would enlighten us with the current scenario as well as form a basis for
future innovations.
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AEGAEUM JOURNAL ISSN NO: 0776-3808
Aim:
To study the diversity of aquatic birds on the banks of river Cauvery in
Tiruchirapalli.
Objectives:
To identify the aquatic birds on the banks of river Cauvery.
To find out the relative status of each species present in the study area.
To find the presence of migratory species relative to the residential species.
Study Area
The river Cauvery originates from Guddagumalai and flows through
Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. In Tamil Nadu, it runs through Mettur, Bhavani,
Komarapalayam, Trichy and Thanjavur and then flows into the Bay of Bengal at
Kaveripoompattinam. The study was conducted along the river stretch from
Cauvery Bridge to Grand Anicut via NH-45 North Bank Kallanai Road and SH-22
Sakarpalayam – Kallanai road including coordinates between 10⁰ 84’ 53” N to 10⁰
82’ 56” N and 78⁰ 73’ 36” E to 78⁰ 78’ 01” E covering an area of about 11.1 sq km
( Fig: 01).
Period of Study
Figure -1: Study area Map
The study was carried out on alternate days for two months during January
and February, 2019.. Rapid and night surveys were also carried out record
nocturnal water birds. Data was collected 4 times a week i.e., every Monday,
Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. The data were collected in the morning
(06:30am-10:00am) and in the evening (03:00pm-06:30pm).
Methodology
The 31 kilometres stretch from Cauvery Bridge to Grand Anicut was
divided into 15 sites with 2 kilometres gap left between every site. The aquatic
birds were identified and counted by point count and road side count methods. 10
minutes were spent at each site for observation. Birds were recorded on both the
sides of the road by the observer while travelling or moving to the next site at a
constant speed of 20 km/h.
Results and Discussion
This study reveal that there are 38 species of aquatic birds on the banks of
river Cauvery
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(Table 01) belonging to 4 orders and 11 families of birds. Dendrocygnidae (1
species), Anatidae(1 species), Alcedinidae (2 species), Halcyonidae (1 species),
Cerylidae (1 species), Rallidae (1 species), Scolopacidae (4 species), Jacanidae (1
species), Charadriidae (1 species), Burhinidae (1 species), Laridae (3 species),
Podicipedidae (1 species), Phalacrocoracidae (3 species), Ardeidae (9 species),
Threskiornithidae (3 species), Ciconiidae (4 species) were observed. The family
and Ardeidae recorded the maximum number of species (Table 01)
Table -1: List of Aquatic birds with Local and IUCN status
S. Family / Common Name Scientific Name M/R IUCN Local
No status Status
A ORDER:
ANSERIFORMES
Family: Dendrocygnidae
1 Lesser whistling duck Dendrocygna R LC NR
javanica
Family: Anatidae
Sub family: Anatini
2 Spot Billed Duck Anas R LC NR
poecilorhyncha
3 Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata M LC VR
B ORDER:
CORACIFORMES
Family: Alcedinidae
4 Common kingfisher Alcedo atthis R LC VR
Family: Halcyonidae
5 White throated kingfisher Halcyon gularis R LC VC
Family: Cerylidae
6 Pied kingfisher Ceryle rudis R LC NR
C ORDER:GRUIFORMES
Family: Rallidae
7 White -Breasted Waterhen Amaurornis R LC VR
hoenicurus
D ORDER:
CICONIIFORMES
Family: Scolopacidae
8 Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia M LC R
9 Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus M LC VR
10 Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola M LC NR
11 Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos M LC NR
Family: Jacanidae
12 Bronze Winged Jacana Metopidius indicus R LC VR
Family: Charadriidae
13 Black Winged Stilt Himantopus M LC R
himantopus
14 Red-Wattled Lapwing Vanellus indicus R LC NR
Family: Burhinidae
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15 Great Thick- knee Esacus R NT VR
recurvirostris
Family: Laridae
16 Caspian Tern Hydroprogne caspia M LC VC
17 River Tern Sterna aurantia R NT VR
18 Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida M LC R
Family: Podicipedidae
19 Little Grebe Tachybaptus R LC VR
ruficollis
Family:
Phalacrocoracidae
20 Little Cormorant Phalacrocorax R LC VC
niger
21 Indian Cormorant Phalacrocorax R LC NR
fuscicollis
22 Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax M LC NR
carbo
Family: Ardeidae
23 Little Egret Egretta garzetta R LC VC
24 Grey Heron Ardea cinereal R LC C
25 Purple Heron Ardea purpurea R LC NR
26 Western Reef Egret Egretta gularis M LC VR
27 Great Egret Casmerodius albus R LC R
28 Intermediate Egret Mesophoyx R LC C
intermedia
29 Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis R LC VC
30 Indian Pond Heron Ardeola grayii R LC VC
31 Black Crown Night Heron Nycticorax R LC R
nycticorax
Family:
Threskiornithidae
32 Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus M LC VR
33 Black Headed Ibis Pseudibis papillosa R NT R
34 Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia R LC VR
Family: Ciconiidae
35 Painted Stork Mycteria R NT NR
leucocephala
36 Asian Openbill Anastomus oscitans R LC VC
37 Woolly-Necked Stork Ciconia episcopus R VU VR
38 White Stork Ciconia Ciconia M LC VR
R- Resident, M*-Migrant, LC*-Least Concern, NT*-Near Threatened, VU*-
Vulnerable VC-Very common,C-Common .NR-Not rare ,R-Rare ,VR-Very rare
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Figure -2- Total number of species: Resident and Migratory birds
The above figure depicts the distribution of migratory and resident birds in the
study area, among the 38 species,26 were resident and 12 were migratory species.
Northern shoveler, common sandpipers, wood sandpiper, green sandpiper,
common greenshank, black winged stilts, Caspian tern , whiskered tern, great
cormorant, western reef egret, glossy ibis, white stork were the migrants species.
Among the twelve migrants, ten are winter visitors except great cormorant which
is a passage migrant and western reef egret which is an occasional visitor
(Grimmett -2013).
Table -2: IUCN Status of Birds at River Cauvery
IUCN Status Number of species
Least Concern (LC) 33
Near Threatened (NT) 4
Vulnerable (VU) 1
From the table 02 we can infer that there are 4 species of Near threatened birds
including Great Thick- knee, River Tern, Black Headed Ibis and Painted Stork and
Woolly-Necked Stork which is vulnerable according to IUCN are found here. This
attracts the protection of the area.
Table -3: Local Status of Birds at River Cauvery
Local Status Number of species
Very Common (VC) 7
Common (C) 2
Not Rare (NR) 10
Rare (R) 6
Very Rare(VR) 12
The table 03 depicts that there are 12 very rare species which further
demands greater protection of this area. Northern Shoveler, Common kingfisher,
White -Breasted Waterhen, Green Sandpiper, Bronze Winged Jacana, Great
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Thick- knee, River Tern, Little Grebe, Western Reef Egret, Glossy Ibis, Eurasian
Spoonbill, Woolly-Necked Stork and White Stork
Conclusion
This present study on the diversity of aquatic birds on the banks of river
Cauvery reveals the presence of 38 species belonging to 4 orders and 11 families.
The family Ardeidae which includes herons and egrets represented the maximum
species . Out of the 38 species, 26 are resident and 12 are migratory including
winter visitors, passage migrants and occasional visitors. There are 4 nearly
threatened and one vulnerable species. There are twelve very rare birds of local
status. Anthropogenic activities as sand mining, uncontrolled fishing, domestic
waste dumping, agricultural run-off, over exploitation of water are causing threats
to these avifaunal diversity. Hence these aquatic birds should be protected by
employing control strategies of threatening activities and implementing
conservation methods.
Acknowledgment
First and foremost, I thank our God the almighty for providing me with good
strength and wisdom to take up this task and accomplish it successfully. I would
like to thank my Post graduate students taking up the study and for assisting me
during my field work. I also thank my family and friends for the their timely help.
References
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and K.Prabakar(2014) Studies on the Diversity of Phytoplankton in
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Web Resource
o https://www.ck12.org/biology/bird-ecology/lesson/Importance-of-Birds-MS-LS/
o https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiruchirappalli
o https://www.sangamhotels.com/all-about-kallanai-dam/
o https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transport_in_Tiruchirappalli
o http://trichytalkies.blogspot.com/2011/06/trichy-cauvery-bridge.html
o https://www.thecivilengineer.org/online-historical-database-of-civil-
infrastructure/item/382-kallanai-dam-grand-anicut
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