A sprawling tank at Tiruthalaiyur in the district has been a haven for migratory birds, attracting a large number of species from different parts of the globe. Gifted with serene atmosphere and isolated from human habitations, the village has been a gift for a number of migratory birds.

The birds that visit the lake include naththakumbi naarai (open billed stroke), kokku (egrets), anbil, aruval mookkan (Ibis white), raa kokku (night heron), grey heron, ullan kuruvi (sand piper), plover and a host of ducks.

Jaipur/New Delhi: After battling water shortages for 10 long years, Bharatpur is again ready to host winged visitors in numbers not seen in the bird sanctuary since the 1990s.

Some are trapped in fishing nets lowered into the water and others are killed by boys with catapults

Visitors to the city have been killed. They have been targets for quite a while now. And their killings have not drawn the attention of the authorities concerned because they happen to be birds. Nature enthusiasts say black cormorant, little grebe, little cormorant, darter, egret, heron and other migratory birds that frequent the city’s tanks or wet lands are being killed, trapped, sold for meat for both fun and commercial gain.

It has been reported that the number of bird species found in the sanctuary has been reduced to nearly half in less than seven years.

Human interferences may be contributing to the dwindling number of birds arriving at Mangalavanam Bird Sanctuary (MBS), said Forest Department officials. It has been reported that the number of bird species found in the sanctuary has been reduced to nearly half in less than seven years. A study carried out by P.S. Easa and E.A. Jayson of the Kerala Forest Research Institute, Thrissur, in 1999, had recorded the presence of 72 species of birds from MBS.

There is a pertinent need to protect the birds of the Nilgiris by installing nest boxes, feeding and providing them with water, said P.J. Vasanthan, Deputy Director of Medical Services of The Nilgiris. He was speaking on the subject ‘Birds of Nilgiris' at the Enviro Meet organised by Osai.

Mr. Vasanthan said that the total species of the Nilgiris are 279 of 62 families. Of these 279 bird species, 52 are migrants, nine are local migrants, 18 are endemic to Western Ghats, eight are nearly threatened species, five are vulnerable species, three are endangered species and three critically endangered species.

In a bid to get back the rare migratory Siberian cranes to India, Environment Ministry has signed an MoU with Siberia to coordinate its conservation and protection.