A recent bird survey organised as part of the Asian Water Bird Census 2021 spotted around 16,000 birds of 56 species in the Thrissur-Ponnani kole fields.
The survey was held on January 3.
The kole fields, one of Asia’s largest wetlands that spans about 13,500 hectares across Thrissur and Malappuram districts, is a haven for waterfowl in the country. A Ramsar site, an international convention that mandates the protection of wetlands across the world, is an important stopover in the central Asian-Indian flyway, which is the migratory route of the birds, which fly south from Siberia in the winter months.
Areas
The survey was organised in various kole fields such as Maranchery, Uppungal, Thommana, Adattu, Manakkodi, Palakkal, Enamavu, Pullazhi, and Mullurkayal.
Birdwatchers observed that the number of waterbirds was less compared to previous years.
In previous years
While 22,049 birds were spotted in 2020, the sightings in 2019 were 27,519 birds and in 2018, the number was 33,499. There has been a considerable decrease in the number of little egret, cattle egret, little cormorant, pond heron, median egret and whiskered tern.
The survey was organised jointly by Kole Birders and Department of Wildlife Science, Kerala Agricultural University. Nearly 50 birdwatchers participated in the survey.
eBird app
The survey also checked whether any mass death is happening among the migrant birds as bird flu has been reported in the State. The information was collected through the eBird app.