Two-day synchronised terrestrial bird census in central region begins on Feb 14

TIRUCHI

The Forest department will conduct a synchronised Terrestrial Bird Census for 2025-2026 in various districts in the central region on Saturday and Sunday.  Bird experts, bird enthusiasts, volunteers, and college students will be involved in this Statewide exercise to be conducted by the field-level Forest department officials.

Ahead of the census, the department organised an orientation for the participants in Tiruchi and Pudukottai on the ways of conducting the exercise and identification of terrestrial bird species among others.

In Tiruchi district, the census would be conducted at 20 locations which includes M.R. Palayam reserve forest, Semmalai reserve forest, Puthanampatti, and Sengattupatti near Thuraiyur, a Forest department official said and added that the team members would be equipped with binoculars and cameras.  About 20 teams would carry out the census at the locations earmarked for each one of them.

The census would be conducted from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. The census of nocturnal terrestrial birds would be carried out during the exercise.

In the neighbouring Pudukottai district, the census would be conducted at 25 locations falling under five forest ranges.  The locations include Narthamalai reserve forest, Veppangudi, Maniyachi reserve forest and Mullur reserve forest.

The census is to be carried out to find out the species, their diversity, and habitats to initiate measures to protect such bird species and their habitats, the official said. A similar State-wide exercise was conducted last year during which several migrant and resident terrestrial bird species were recorded in various districts in the central region.