MELAGIRIS (TAMIL NADU) PROPOSAL FOR IMPORTANT BIRD AREA (IBA) State : Tamil Nadu, India District : Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri Coordinates : 12°18©54"N 77°41©42"E Ownership : State Area : 98926.175 ha Altitude : 300-1395 m Rainfall : 620-1000 mm Temperature : 10°C - 35°C Biographic Zone : Deccan Peninsula Habitats : Tropical Dry Deciduous, Riverine Vegetation, Tropical Dry Evergreen Proposed Criteria A1 (Globally Threatened Species) A2 (Endemic Bird Area 123 - Western Ghats, Secondary Area s072 - Southern Deccan Plateau) A3 (Biome-10 - Indian Peninsula Tropical Moist Forest, Biome-11 - Indo-Malayan Tropical Dry Zone) GENERAL DESCRIPTION The Melagiris are a group of hills lying nestled between the Cauvery and Chinnar rivers, to the south-east of Hosur taluk in Tamil Nadu, India. The Melagiris form part of an almost unbroken stretch of forests connecting Bannerghatta National Park (which forms its north-western boundary) to the forests of Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary - Karnataka (which forms its southern boundary, separated by the river Cauvery), and further to Biligirirangan hills and Sathyamangalam forests. The northern and western parts are comparatively plain and is part of the Mysore plateau. The average elevation in this region is 500-1000 m. Ground sinks to 300m in the valley of the Cauvery and the highest point is the peak of Guthereyan at 1395.11 m. Red sandy loam is the most common soil type found in this region. Small deposits of alluvium are found along Cauvery and Chinnar rivers and Kaoline is found in some areas near Jowlagiri. The temperature ranges from 10°C ± 35°C. South-west monsoon is fairly active mostly in the northern areas, but north-east monsoon is distinctly more effective in the region. Average rainfall is about 760 mm, but some pockets in Denkanikottai range receive upto 1000 mm rainfall. The following map shows the proposed area for the IBA. The area shaded in dark green are part of the Cauvery North Wildlife Sanctuary, Tamil Nadu. The area shaded in light green are the reserve forests of Hosur and Dharmapuri Forest Divisions in between the Cauvery North WLS, the river Cauvery and the river Chinnar. Name Area (hectare) North Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary 50433.00 Ulibanda RF, Hosur FD 3241.53 Tagatti RF, Hosur FD 4341.47 Ubraini RF, Hosur FD 4831.95 Urigam RF, Hosur FD 3231.01 Kesthur RF, Hosur FD 5852.97 Billikal RF, Hosur FD 5433.31 Mallahalli RF, Hosur FD 4032.29 Natrampalayam RF, Hosur FD 4986.98 Biligundlu RF, Hosur FD 6092.14 Wodappati RF, Hosur FD 2557.62 Wodpatti RF, Dharmapuri FD 4609.17 Guthereyan RF, Dharmapuri FD 6666.86 Kesarguli RF, Dharmapuri FD approx 4500.00 Morappur RF, Dharmapuri FD approx 4500.00 Total 115310.30 RF: Reserve Forest FD: Forest Division Most parts of the forests are classified under Southern Tropical Dry Mixed Deciduous Forests (5A/C3). Southern Tropical Riverine Forests (5/B1) form a narrow strip along Cauvery and Chinnar rivers. Southern Tropical Dry Evergreen Forests (7/C1) are found in some sheltered pockets in Denkanikottai range where rainfall is around 1000 mm and elevation 800-1315 m. Southern Tropical Dry Deciduous Scrub Forests (5A/DS1) are seen mostly near forest borders. Hardwickia binata, Terminalia arjuna, Tamarindus indica, Garcenia gummigatta, Shorea roxbhurgii, Santalum album and Bamboo sp are some of the the important flora found in the area. AVIFAUNA The birds seen in Melagiris are mostly typical of the tropical dry deciduous/dry scrub forests found here. Variations from this pattern are seen along the Cauvery and Chinnar rivers, and in the evergreen patches of Denkanikottai range. A total of 268 species have been recorded from the area. A comprehensive bird survey was conducted in February 2014 which helped to collect a lot of first hand data about the birds in Melagiris. A1: Globally Threatened Species A pair of Egyptian Vultures Neophron percnopterus were seen nesting in Devarbetta in Jowlagiri range and photographed. Indian Spotted Eagle, a Vulnerable species, is seen wide-spread in Hosur Forest Division, and have been recorded from Denkanikotai, Hosur, Rayakotai and Urigam areas. Pied Tit, another Vulnerable Species has been recorded from Denkanikottai in Hosur Division and parts of Dharmapuri Division. The birds seen here are a part of the small surviving South Indian population in the South portions of the Eastern Ghats. A flock of Nilgiri Wood Pigeon was recorded from Kodekarai during Melagiri Bird Survey, 2014. The IUCN red-listed species found in the area are listed below. No Species Scientific Name Redlist 1 Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus EN 2 Woolly-necked Stork Ciconia episcopus VU 3 Indian Spotted Eagle Aquila hastata VU 4 Nilgiri Wood Pigeon Columba elphinstonii VU 5 White-naped Tit Parus nuchalis VU 6 Painted Stork Mycteria leucocephala NT 7 Black-headed Ibis Threskiornis melanocephalus NT 8 Spot-billed Pelican Pelecanus philippensis NT 9 Oriental Darter Anhinga melanogaster NT 10 Lesser Fish Eagle Icthyophaga humilis NT 11 Pallid Harrier Circus macrourus NT 12 River Tern Sterna aurantia NT Egyptian Vulture at Devarbetta, Jowlagiri Range Lesser Fish Eagle Raasimanal, Anchetty Range Painted Storks at Thally, Jowlagiri Range Darters at Dabaguli, Urigam Range Greater Grey-headed Fish-Eagle Ichthyophaga ichthyaetus (Near Threatened) has also been reported from the area until 3 years ago. These sightings could have been of Lesser Fish Eagle and need to be verified. All Fish Eagles recorded during Melagiri Bird Survey 2014 were also Lesser, which makes this even more probable. Also, Yellow- throated Bulbul Pycnonotus xantholaemus (Vulnerable), Oriental White-backed Vulture Gyps bengalensis (Critically Endangered) and Long-billed Vulture Gyps indicus (Critically Endangered) have been documented from both the nearby IBAs of Bannerghatta National Park and Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary, Karnataka. Since Melagiri forms a contiguous patch of forests between these two IBAs, it is probable that these birds are present in Melagiris also, but have not been documented yet. A2: Restricted Range Species Melagiris has restricted range species from Endemic Bird Area 123 (Western Ghats). Good population of Blue- winged Parakeet is present in the forests of Denkanikottai range. Endemic Bird Area 123 (Western Ghats) 1 Nilgiri Wood Pigeon Columba elphinstonii 2 Blue-winged Parakeet Psittacula columboides 3 Greater Flameback Chrysocolaptes guttacristatus 4 Nilgiri Flowerpecker Dicaeum concolor 5 Crimson-backed Sunbird Leptocoma minima Blue-winged Parakeet at Aiyur, Denkanikottai Range A3: Biome Restricted Assemblage Out of the 15 species that represent Biome-10 (Indian Peninsula Tropical Moist Forest), 7 have been documented from Melagiris. Biome-10 (Indian Peninsula Tropical Moist Forest) 1 Blue-faced Malkoha Phaenicophaeus viridirostris 2 Jerdon's Nightjar Caprimulgus atripennis 3 White-cheeked Barbet Megalaima viridis 4 Yellow-browed Bulbul Acritillas indica 5 Indian Scimitar Babbler Pomatorhinus horsfieldii 6 Malabar Whistling Thrush Myophonus horsfieldii 7 Loten's Sunbird Cinnyris lotenius Small Green-billed Malkoha at Urigam Range 35 out of the 59 species that represent Biome-11 (Indo-Malayan Tropical Dry Zone) have been documented. Brown-headed Barbet, Anebiddahalla, Anchetty Range Yellow-wattled Lapwing, Aiyur, Denkanikottai Range Biome-11 (Indo-Malayan Tropical Dry Zone) 1 Jungle Bush Quail Perdicula asiatica 2 Painted Bush Quail Perdicula erythrorhyncha 3 Indian Peafowl Pavo cristatus 4 Red-naped Ibis Pseudibis papillosa 5 White-eyed Buzzard Butastur teesa 6 Yellow-wattled Lapwing Vanellus malabaricus 7 Yellow-footed Green Pigeon Treron phoenicopterus 8 Plum-headed Parakeet Psittacula cyanocephala 9 Sirkeer Malkoha Taccocua leschenaultii 10 Mottled Wood Owl Strix ocellata 11 Indian Nightjar Caprimulgus asiaticus 12 Indian Grey Hornbill Ocyceros birostris 13 Brown-headed Barbet Megalaima zeylanica 14 Yellow-crowned Woodpecker Dendrocopos mahrattensis 15 Black-rumped Flameback Dinopium benghalense 16 White-naped Woodpecker Chrysocolaptes festivus 17 Common Woodshrike Tephrodornis pondicerianus 18 Ashy Woodswallow Artamus fuscus 19 Marshall's Iora Aegithina nigrolutea 20 Black-headed Cuckooshrike Coracina melanoptera 21 Small Minivet Pericrocotus cinnamomeus 22 White-bellied Drongo Dicrurus caerulescens 23 White-browed Fantail Rhipidura aureola 24 White-naped Tit Parus nuchalis 25 Ashy-crowned Sparrow-Lark Eremopterix griseus 26 White-browed Bulbul Pycnonotus luteolus 27 Jungle Prinia Prinia sylvatica 28 Ashy Prinia Prinia socialis 29 Tawny-bellied Babbler Dumetia hyperythra 30 Large Grey Babbler Turdoides malcolmi 31 Jungle Babbler Turdoides striata 32 Yellow-billed Babbler Turdoides affinis 33 Chestnut-tailed Starling Sturnia malabarica 34 Brahminy Starling Sturnia pagodarum 35 Indian Robin Saxicoloides fulicatus Sirkeer Malkoka, Uganiyam, Urigam Range Indian Grey Hornbill, Urigam Range More photos and map of the region: indiabiodiversity.org/group/melagiri OTHER KEY FAUNA The riverine forests along Cauvery provides habitat for Grizzled Giant Squirrel, a species threatened by rapid habitat loss. The region is estimated to have 150-200 elephants, but this number varies throughout the year. Other mammals found in the area are the Sloth Bear, Dhole, Leopard, Four Horned Antelope, Sambar, Chital, Small Indian Civet, Common Mongoose, Madras Tree Shrew, Jungle Cat, Golden Jackal, Gerbil, Black Naped Hare, Bonnet Macaque, Wild Pig. Indian Gaur, Common Palm Civet, Mouse Deer, Barking Deer, Ruddy Mongoose, Stripe Necked Mongoose, Slender Loris and Rusty