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Birds of Kole Wetlands, Thrissur, Kerala

Birds of Kole Wetlands, Thrissur, Kerala

CASE REPORT ZOOS' PRINT JOURNAL 15(10): 344-349

BIRDS OF KOLE , ,

C. Sivaperuman and E.A. Jayson*

Division of Wildlife Biology, Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi, Kerala 680653, .

* Corresponding Author E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract recognized groups popularly known as wildfowl, waterfowl, community of Kole wetlands in , shore and waders. Among the wetlands in Kerala, Kole Kerala State was studied during November 1998 to in Thrissur District occupies an important position December 1999. The methodology followed was mainly (Anon, 1996). According to Perennou (1990) out of the nine observations using spotting scope. A total of 167 resident endangered waterfowl, four were seen in Kole wetlands. of birds, belonging to 16 orders and 39 families were Jairaj and Kumar (1990) reported Eurasian (Platalea recorded from the area during the period. Among them, leucorodia) from Kole wetlands. Two short term surveys of 53 species of birds were winter visitors. Highest number one week duration employing volunteer bird watchers were of birds was recorded in the month of January and the conducted to list the birds of Kole wetlands during the winter lowest was observed in June. Little , Cattle Egret, months of 1992 and 1993 (Anon, 1992; 1993). Details of these Little , Pond , Median Egret and surveys and earlier census data were compared and published Whiskered were the most abundant resident and by Nameer (1993). Ravindran (1993; 1999) reported the local migrant species found in the Kole wetlands. The occurrence of Glossy (Plegadis falcinellus) and White- importance of this wetland area as the “stepping stone” necked ( episcopus) respectively from this area. for the trans-continental migrants is discussed. Ravindran (1995) highlighted the importance of conserving wetland birds in the Kole wetlands in another publication. Keywords Santharam (1995) reported Plain Sand Martin (Riparia Birds, Kole wetland, conservation probelms, inventory paludicola) from this area. Similarly, Jayson (2000) reported the occurrence of (Ciconia nigra) and Sivaperuman and Jayson (in press, b) recorded the presence of Northern Introduction Shoveller (Anas clypeata) here. A rare incidence of Black- shouldered (Elanus caeruleus) preying on Wood Wetlands are areas of marsh, ponds, swamps, whether natural or ( glareola) was also recorded by Sivaperuman and Jayson artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or (in press, a). The importance of conserving the Kole lands of flowing, fresh, brackish or salty, including areas of marine water, Thrissur was also discussed by Jayson and Sivaperuman (1999). the depth of which at low tide does not exceeded six meters (Anon, 1971). Wetlands are extremely important areas Study area throughout the world for wildlife protection, recreation, sediment control, flood prevention, educational and scientific uses. Wetlands in Kerala come under Central Asian-Indian Flyway Wetlands play an important role in the socio-economic stability (Anon, 1996). Kole wetland is one such area with much impor- of local community activities such as fisheries (fresh and tance. The name "Kole" refers to the peculiar type of cultiva- saltwater). tion carried out from December to May and this word indicates bumper yield of high returns in case floods do not dam- Waterbirds are an important component of most of the wetland age the crops (Johnkutty & Venugopal, 1993). A major portion ecosystems, as they occupy several trophic levels in the food of the area here is flat and it remains submerged for about six web of wetland nutrient cycles. Waterbirds are broadly defined months in a year, during June to November. These lands were as “birds ecologically dependent on wetlands” and include formerly shallow lagoons, which gradually got silted up. Two rivers mainly bring the floodwaters into the area, namely Kechery and Karuvannur, which finally empty into the Arabian Sea. The Received 9 May 2000 Accepted 2 September 2000 Kole wetlands cover an area of 11,000 ha. spread over Thrissur

344 ZOOS' PRINT JOURNAL Volume XV Number 10 October 2000 (RNI 2:1) Birds of Kole wetlands, Thrissur, Kerala C. Sivaperuman and E.A. Jayson and Districts, extending from the northern banks another species Rufous Babbler (Turdoides subrufus) is endemic of River to the southern banks of Bharathapuzha River to . Neelakantan, et al. (1993) reported 19 or- in the North. The area lies between 10020' and 10040' N lati- ders, 65 families and 475 species of birds as occurring in Kerala. 0 0 tudes and 75 58' and 76 11' E longitudes. The wetland is a low- Conservation problems lying tract, located 0.5 m. to 1 m. below mean sea level. This paper forms part of a major ecological study being undertaken by Many factors, which threaten the Kole wetland ecosystem and us to investigate the community parameters of birds, food and feed- in turn the bird population were identified during the study. ing and the damage caused by birds to paddy cultivation. Among them the prominent were poaching of birds, heavy use of pesticides, and unregulated fishing from the canals laid in Methods Kole land to drain excess water. Pesticides and herbicides of 15 The method of total count was employed to census the bird popu- different brands were used in the paddy fields for the protection lation. In this method representative blocks were identified and of paddy. Birds were hunted using shotgun and air gun and the birds in the blocks were counted using a spotting scope (10x many such incidents were recorded. Another method used for - 45x) or binocular (7 X 50). Birds were identified using physi- killing birds was by anesthetising them using the insecticide cal features with the help of field guides and reference books Furadan, which was fed to birds, by concealing it in small dead (Ali, 1969; , 1979; Ali & Ripley, 1983; Neelakantan . Uncontrolled fishing depletes the food source of wetland et al., 1993; Grimmett et al., 1998; Daniels, 1998). Birds were birds. Small sized gill nets are used for fishing which results in identified up to species level and details like the number of birds the removal of even small sized , indirectly affecting the and the habitat were also recorded. The census was conducted availability of food for birds. As suggested by many workers in between 0700 hours to 1000 hours and on an average covered the earlier reports, if Kole wetlands are declared as a Ramsar 15 days in a month. site, birds will be protected more seriously. Representative areas like Enamavu, Kanjany, Arimpur, Discussion and Conclusions Mulloorkayal, Adat, Alapatt and Pullu were censused in each The number of species recorded from the Kole wetlands shows month. Along with this other areas were also surveyed. The high species-richness, which is comparable to other wetlands in census was carried out during November 1998 to December 1999 Kerala (Jayson & Easa, 2000). Among the species recorded, 53 and following assumptions were used to derive the abundance were winter visitors. As this wetland is coming under ‘Central of each species (Nameer et al., 2000). Asian – Indian Flyway’, protection of winter visitors need highest A = Abundant (found in all suitable habitats and seen in all the priority. As reported earlier from the Western Ghats, highest habitats, every visit) number of birds were recorded during the months of winter and C = Common (found in all suitable habitats and seen in all the there was a reduction in population size during the monsoon habitats, most of the visits) (Daniels, 1998). As Kole wetlands are serving as “stepping U = Uncommon (seen in specific habitat on a few visits) stone” for the trans-continental migrants, urgent measures are O = Occasional (seen in suitable habitat once or twice). needed to protect this wetland ecosystem for the conservation of migratory birds. Status of species is classified into Resident (R), Local move- ment (LM) and Migrant (M). Winter visitors from Central Asian Acknowledgements Countries are included in migrants, where as winter visitors from We are thankful for the financial assistance from the Kerala Forest other parts of the Indian sub-continent is included in the cat- Department (Wildlife Wing). Dr. J.K. Sharma, Director, KFRI egory of local movement. has shown great interest in this project. We thank Dr. K.K.N. Results and Dr. P.S. Easa for suggestions. A total of 167 species of birds, belonging to 16 orders and 39 References families were recorded from the Kole wetlands (Table 1). Among Ali, S. (1969). The Birds of Kerala. Oxford University Press, Bombay, them 81 species are wetland birds. During the study, 53 species 444 pp. of winter visitors were also recorded. Of these migratory birds, Ali, S. and S.D. Ripley (1983). A Pictorial Guide to the Birds of the nine were , 31 waders, three and two . Kole Indian sub-continent. Oxford University Press, Mumbai, 177 pp. Anon (1971). Ramsar Convention. The Final Act of the International wetland is an abode of many species also. Highest Conference on the Conservation of Wetlands and Waterfowl. IUCN number of birds was recorded during the month of January and Bulletin 2, Special supplement pp. 1-4. lowest in June. , Cattle Egret, , Pond Anon (1992). Birds of Kole wetlands: A survey report I. Nature Heron, Median Egret and were the most abun- Education Society Trichur (NEST) in collaboration with Kerala Forest dant species in the Kole wetlands. Research Institute and Kerala Forest Department, 16 pp. (Draft - Unpublished). Among the species recorded, Spot-billed (Pelecanus Anon (1993). Birds of Kole wetlands: A Survey Report II. Nature philippensis) is a species included in the Red Data Book and Education Society Trichur (NEST), in collaboration with Kerala Forest

ZOOS' PRINT JOURNAL Volume XV Number 10 October 2000 (RNI 2:1) 345 Birds of Kole wetlands, Thrissur, Kerala C. Sivaperuman and E.A. Jayson Status CR AM CM UM CLM CM CM CM CLM UR UM CM UM UM UR CR CR UR ULM UR UR CR ULM CR CR CR ULM CR CLM Scientific NameDendrocygna javanica Abund. Anas acuta Anas clypeata Anas crecca Anas poecilorhyncha Anas querquedula Anas strepera Aythya nyroca Nettapus coromandelianus Accipiter badius Accipiter nisus Circus aeruginosus Circus macrourus Circus melanoleucos Elanus caeruleus Haliastur indus Milvus migrans Pandion haliaetus Pernis ptilorhyncus Francolinus pondicerianus Galloperdix spadicea Amaurornis phoenicurus Fulica atra Gallinula chloropus Porphyrio porphyrio Porzana fusca Hydrophasianus chirurgus Metopidius indicus Glareola lactea 29.30. Shoveller Northern 31. Common Teal 32. Spot-billed 33. 34. Gadwall 35. Ferruginous Pochard Goose Cotton Pygmy 37.38. Eurasian Sparrow 39. Eurasian Marsh 40. 41. 42. Black-shouldered Kite 43. 44. 45. Oriental Honey Buzzard 47. Red Spur Fowl Rallidae 48.49. White-breasted Waterhen 50. Common Coot 51. 52. Purple Swamphen Ruddy-breasted Crake 53.54. Pheasant-tailed Jacana Bronze-winged Jacana 55. Small # Common Name Dendrocygnidae 27.Duck Lesser Whistling 28. 36. 46. Status OM CLM OLM AR CLM CR CR CR AR UR CR AR OR UR UR AR CR CLM UM UR UM OLM ULM CLM CR OR Sula dactylatra Phalacrocorax carbo Phalacrocorax fuscicollis Phalacrocorax niger melanogaster Ardea cinerea Ardea purpurea Ardeola grayii Bubulcus ibis Casmerodius albus Dupetor flavicollis Egretta garzetta Egretta gularis Ixobrychus cinnamomeus Ixobrychus sinensis Mesophoyx intermedia Nycticorax nycticorax Anastomus oscitans Ciconia ciconia Ciconia episcopus Ciconia nigra leucocephala Platalea leucorodia Threskiornis melanocephalus Trachybaptus ruficollis Pelecanus philippensis Name Scientific Name Abund. 3. Masked Phalacrocoracidae 4.5. 6. Indian Cormorant Cormorant Little Anhingidae 7. Oriental Ardeidae 8.9. 10. 11. Pond Heron 12. Cattle Egret 13. 14. Black 15. Little Egret 16. Western Reef Egret 17. Bittern Cinnamom 18. Bittern Yellow 19. Night Heron Black-crowned Ciconiidae 20.21. Asian Openbilled Stork 22. 23. White-necked Stork 24. Black Stork 25.26. Asian White Ibis Table 1. List of birds recorded from Kole wetlands of Thrissur wetlands of from Kole List of birds recorded 1. Table # Common Podicipedidae 1. Little Pelecanidae 2. Pelican Spot-billed

346 ZOOS' PRINT JOURNAL Volume XV Number 10 October 2000 (RNI 2:1) Birds of Kole wetlands, Thrissur, Kerala C. Sivaperuman and E.A. Jayson Status C LM CR CR CR ULM UR ULM ULM ULM CR CR CR CR UR CR CR CR CR CR CLM UR UR Cacomantis sonneratii P. cyanocephala P. Alcedo atthis Tyto alba Tyto Halcyon capensis Halcyon smyrnensis Halcyon pileata Scientific NameScientific Psittacula krameri Abund. Clamator jacobinus Hierococcyx varius Cuculus micropterus Eudynamys scolopacea Centropus sinensis Athene brama Strix leptogrammica melba Tachymarptis Apus affinis Cypsiurus balasiensis Ceryle rudis Merops philippinus Merops orientalis Coracias benghalensis tted Owlet rown Wood Common KingfisherStork-billed Indian Alpine House Swift Asian Palm Swift Lesser ytonidae 100. 109. White-throated Kingfisher 110. Black-capped Kingfisher Alcedinidae 107. Dacelonidae 108. Meropidae 111. Blue-tailed Bee-Eater 113. Psittacidae 92.93.Parakeet Rose-ringed Parakeet) Plum-headed Parakeet (Blossom-headed Cuculidae 94.95. ) Pied Cuckoo (Pied Crested 96. Indian Hawk Cuckoo 97. 98.Cuckoo (Indian Baybanded Cuckoo) Banded Bay Centropodidae 99. ( Pheasant) T Strigidae 101. Spo 102. B Apodidae 103. 104. 105. Cerylidae 106. 112. Green Bee-Eater # Common Name Status OM OM OM CM CM CM CM CM CM CM CM UM CM CM CM UM UM CM CM CM CM CM CM CLM CM CR CR UR CLM CM CR OR UM CM UM ULM Streptopelia decaocto Limosa limosa Limosa lapponica Numenius phaeopus Numenius arquata Tringa totanus Tringa stagnatilis Tringa nebularia Tringa ochropus Tringa glareola Xenus cinereus Actitis hypoleucos Calidris tenuirostris Calidris ferruginea Limicola falcinellus Gallinago gallinago Gallinago stenura Calidris alba Calidris minuta Calidris temminckii Philomachus pugnax Larus cachinnans Larus brunnicephalus Larus ridibundus Chlidonias hybrida Sterna caspia Columba livia Streptopelia chinensis Himantopus himantopus Recurvirostra avosetta indicus Vanellus malabaricus Vanellus Charadrius mongolus Charadrius dubius Charadrius hiaticula Charadrius alexandrinus Name Scientific Name Abund. Scolopacidae 64.65. Black-tailed 66. Godwit Bar-tailed 67. Whimbrel 68. Eurasian 69. 70. 71. 72. 73. 74. Sandpiper Terek 75. 76. Knot Great 77. 78. Broadbilled Sandpiper 79. Common 80. Snipe Pintailed 81. 82. 83. Stint Temminck’s 84.85. (Herring Gull) Yellow-legged 86. Brown-headed Gull 87. Common Black-headed Gull 88. Whiskered Tern 89.90. Pigeon) Rock Pigeon (Blue Rock 91. Indian (Indian Ring Dove) # Common 56.57. Black-winged Stilt 58. Pied Avocet (Avocet) 59. Red-wattled 60. Lapwing Yellow-wattled 61. Lesser Sand 62. 63. Ringed Plover Plover Kentish

ZOOS' PRINT JOURNAL Volume XV Number 10 October 2000 (RNI 2:1) 347 Birds of Kole wetlands, Thrissur, Kerala C. Sivaperuman and E.A. Jayson Status ULM UR CR CR CR CR CR CR CLM UR AR CR CR UR UM UM OLM CR CR CR AR CR CR CR UR CR CR OR CR UR dumetorum

Name Abund. Prinia inornata Cisticola juncidis Acrocephalus stentoreus Orthotomus sutorius Prinia hodgsonii Prinia socialis Acrocephalus Amandava amandava Anthus rufulus Lonchura kelaarti Lonchura malacca Lonchura malabarica Lonchura punctulata Lonchura striata Motacilla cinerea Motacilla citreola Motacilla flava Motacilla maderaspatensis Petronia xanthocollis Ploceus manyar Ploceus philippinus Dicaeum agile Dicaeum erythrorhynchos Nectarinia asiatica Nectarinia lotenia Nectarinia zeylonica Turdoides affinis Turdoides caudatus Turdoides striatus Turdoides subrufus (1998) and scientific names and after Inskipp et al. mmon Name Scientific ellow Wagtail Clamorous Reed-Warbler Bird Common Tailor Grey-breasted Prinia Plain PriniaAshy Prinia Paddy Field Pipit Hill Munia Black-headed Munia Plain Munia Scaly-breasted Munia White-rumped Munia Citrine Wagtail Large Pied Wagtail Chestnut-shouldered Petronia Streaked Weaver Thick-billed Tickell’s Flowerpecker Purple Loten’s Sunbird Purple-rumped Sunbird Zitting CisticolaBlyth’s Reed Warbler Red Munia Pale capped Babbler Common Babbler Rufous Babbler (1996) 147. 148. 143. 144. 145. 150. 151. 152. 153. 154. 155. 156. 157. 158. Y 159. 160. 161. 162. Nectariniidae 163. 164. 165. 166. 167. A- Abundance; C- Common; U- Uncommon; O- Occasional R- Resident; M- Migrant; LM- Local Movement Common names are after Manakadan, et al. 142. 146. Passeridae 149. 138. 139. 140. 141. Status # Co CLM CLM ULM UR CR CR CLM CR CR UR UR UR CR CR CR CR ULM CR OM UR UR ULM CR UR Hirundo daurica Hirundo rustica Oriolus oriolus Oriolus xanthornus Dicrurus caerulescens Dicrurus leucophaeus Dicrurus macrocercus Acridotheres fuscus Acridotheres tristis Aegithina tiphia Artamus fuscus Corvus macrorhynchos Corvus splendens Dendrocitta vagabunda Chloropsis cochinchinensis Pycnonotus cafer Pycnonotus jocosus Copsychus saularis Oenanthe deserti Saxicola caprata Saxicoloides fulicata Terpsiphone paradisi Terpsiphone Megalaima viridis Dinopium benghalense llow ise Flycatcher Name Scientific Name Abund. don’s White-bellied Ashy Drongo Indian/ Common Jungle Crow Rufous Tree Pie Red-whiskered Oriental Robin # Common Hirundinidae 116. Red-rumped 117. Barn Common Swallow Oriolidae 118. 119. Black-hooded Oriole Dicruridae 120. 121. 122 Sturnidae 123. 124. 125. 126. Ashy127. Wood Swa 128. 129. Irenidae 130. Jer Pycnonotidae 131. Red-vented132. Bulbul Muscicapidae 133. 134. 135. Pied Bushchat136. 137. Asian Parad Megalaimidae 114. White-cheeked Barbet Picidae 115. Black-rumped Flame-backed

348 ZOOS' PRINT JOURNAL Volume XV Number 10 October 2000 (RNI 2:1) Birds of Kole wetlands .... C. Sivaperuman and E.A. Jayson NOTE ZOOS' PRINT JOURNAL 15(10): 349

Research Institute and Kerala Forest Department. 18 pp. (Draft - THE BLACK DRONGO’S (DICRURUS Unpublished). MACROCERCUS Anon (1996). Asia-Pacific Waterbird Conservation Strategy, 1996- (BECHSTEIN)) WHITE CROWN 2000. Wetlands International Asia-Pacific, Kualalumpur, Publication No.117, and International Waterfowl and Wetlands Research Bureau - G. Prasad Japan Committee, Tokyo. Daniels, R.J.R. (1998). A Field Guide to the Birds of Southwestern P.G. Student, College of Forestry, Kerala Agricultural University, India. Oxford University Press, Delhi, 217 pp. Trichur, Kerala 680656, India. Grimmett, R., C. Inskipp and T. Inskipp (1998). Birds of Indian E-mail: [email protected] Subcontinent. Oxford University Press, 888 pp. Inskipp T., N. Lindsey and W. Duckworth (1996). An annotated checklist of the birds of the oriental region. Oriental Bird Club, U.K. Jairaj, A.P. and V.K. Sanjeeve Kumar (1990). Occurrence of Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia Linn. in Kerala. J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 87(2): 289. Jayson, E.A. (2000). Occurrence of Black Stork Ciconia nigra The Black Drongo (Dicrurus adsimilis (Bechstein)) or the King (Linnaeus) in Kole wetlands of Thrissur, Kerala. Newsl. Bird Watch- Crow belongs to the family Dicruridae. It is a common resident ers 40(3): 39-40. bird seen all over India. It inhabits open deciduous forests and Jayson, E.A. and C. Sivaperuman (1999). Kole lands of Thrissur: A cultivated lands. threatened wetland ecosystem. Evergreen, Newsletter of Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi, (43): 10-11, Jayson, E.A. and P.S. Easa (2000). Documentation of vertebrate fauna A Black Drongo was noticed residing near the Kerala Agricul- in Mangalavan mangrove area. KFRI Research Report No. 183. Kerala tural University campus in October 1999, in a rice field and Forest Research Institute, Peechi. deserves special mention. The body size and the colour were Johnkutty, I. and V.K. Venugopal (1993). Kole wetlands of Kerala. same as that of other Black , but the head had a promi- Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur, 68 pp. nent white round patch at the top. The feathers at the top of the Manakadan, R., J.C. Daniel, A.R. Rahmani, M. Inamdar and G. head were striking white giving a complete contrast, resembling ugra (1998). Standardized English common names of the birds of the a crown. The patch did not extend down up to the eyes of the - a proposal. Buceros 3(2): 55 pp. Bombay Natural bird. The bird was an adult and the two white spots on the sides History Society, Mumbai. of the bill were prominent. The bird was noticed perching on Nameer, P.O. (1993). Conservering the Kole Wetlands – a potential Ramsar Site from southern India. In: Verghese, A., S. Sridhar and the tip of bushtops, electric cables, and its feeding pattern was A.K. Chakravarthy (eds.) Bird conservation strategies for the Nineties same as that of the other Black Drongos. The rice fields pro- and Beyond. Ornithological Society of India, Bangalore pp. 105-110. vided a feast of for the bird. This bird made attempts to Nameer, P.O., R. Resmi Nair, K.R. Anoop, S.G. Nair, R. Lekshmi chase and attack , kites, etc, flying through the locality as and P. Radhakrishnan (2000). Birds of Kerala Agricultural University other Black Drongos do. This Drongo is resident, according to Campus, Thrissur. Zoos’ Print J. 15(4): 243-246. the local people. Neelakantan, K.K., C. Sasikumar and R. Venugopalan (1993). A Book of Kerala Birds. World Wide Fund for Nature-India, Kerala State The white patch was seen on the top of the head only, and the Committee, Trivandrum, 146 pp. rest of the body remained jet black. This cannot be considered Perennou, C. (1990). Species to look for in India. Newsl. Bird Watchers 30(5&6): 10. as albinism where the whole body becomes white due to the Ravindran, P.K. (1993). Occurrence of the in Kole lack of pigment production. There are no previous records of wetland, Thrissur District, Kerala. Newsl. Bird Watchers 33(6): 109. the Drongo’s albinism or 'a Black Drongo with a white patch' Ravindran, P.K. (1995). The Kole wetlands - an avian paradise in but in many other birds and , albinism has been reported. Kerala. Newsl. Bird Watchers 35(1): 2-5. The present case may be considered as a freak of nature. Ravindran, P.K. (1999). White-necked Stork in Kole wetlands. Newsl. Bird Watchers 39(3): 51. Santharam, V. (1995). The Grey-throated or Plain Sand Martin Riparia paludicola Vieillot – a new bird for southern India. J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. 92(1): 122. Sivaperuman, C. and E.A. Jayson (In press a). Black-winged Kite Elanus caeruleus vociferous (Latham) preying on Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola Linnaeus. J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. Sivaperuman, C. and E.A. Jayson (In press b). Occurrence of North- ern Shoveller Anas clypeata Linnaeus in Kole Wetlands of Thrissur, Kerala. J. Bombay nat. Hist. Soc. Woodcock, M.W. (1979). Collins Handguide to the Birds of the Indian Sub-continent, Collins, St. Jame’s Place, London. 176 pp. Received 24 July 2000 Accepted 20 August 2000

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