Vedanthangal and Karikili Bird Sanctuary (18408)
India, Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2004
National site name: Vedanthangal and Karikili Bird Sanctuary
Central coordinates: Latitude: 12.5338, Longitude: 79.8747
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 25 00
Area of KBA (km2): 0.76326
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The Vedanthangal (50 ha) and Karikili (30 ha) bird sanctuaries are located about 85 km southwest of Chennai, in Chengalpet district of Tamil Nadu. These are old water storage reservoirs for irrigation in the Chengalpet plains. They have also become important as breeding sites for large waterbirds. There are several much larger tanks (e.g. 350 ha Madurantakam Tank) in the surrounding plains, but these are generally less important from the wildlife point of view. Vedanthangal tank receives some water from Madurantakam tank through a link channel, but Karikili is wholly rainfed. Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary is one of the oldest bird sanctuaries in south India. Documentary evidence of its existence is available from 1793. In 1798, the Collector of Chengalpet district issued a prohibitory order against shooting of birds in Vedanthangal. In 1858, a sub-magistrate revived the 1798 order as it had not been followed strictly. But only in 1936 did the Collector officially recognised Vedanthangal as a Sanctuary and sanction government funds towards its maintenance (Venkatraman 1996a). Vedanthangal has been visited by many ornithologists since the last 100 years. Hume and Oates (1889-1890), Bates (Bird Life in India 20-47), Whistler and Kinnear (1937) during their Vernay Scientific Survey, Sanjeeva Raj (1956) and Spillet (1966). Vedanthangal has been developed to enhance its value to wildlife; a number of elevated mud islands have been created and planted with trees to provide ideal nesting sites for herons, egrets and other colonial nesting birds. By contrast, Karikili Tank is undeveloped and remains in much the same condition as Vedanthangal was during the 1950s. Karikili is situated about 10 km from Vedanthangal, and is in fact two small tanks with a combined area of about 50 ha. Both tanks fill up during the northeast monsoon in October-November. In immediate vicinity of the tanks there are bare plains, paddy fields and scrub forest. During the monsoon, shallow pools are formed in many places, which provide additional foraging areas for water birds. The area has a tropical monsoon climate, with an average annual rainfall of about 1,000 mm, mostly during October-November (northeast monsoon). There are mainly common herbaceous plants in the marshy areas. In the late 1970s, the islands in Vedanthangal were replanted with Barringtonia acutangula to replenish the dead and dying trees. These trees are preferred for nesting by Spot-billed Pelican Pelecanus philippensis, Asian Openbill Anastomus oscitans and Black-headed or White Ibis Threskiornis melanocephala.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance because it meets one or more previously established criteria and thresholds for identifying sites of biodiversity importance (including Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas, Alliance for Zero Extinction sites, and Key Biodiversity Areas)
Additional biodiversity: AVIFAUNA: Vedanthangal and Karikili tanks satisfy IBA criteria A1 and A4iii and are treated as one IBA site due to their proximity. Both sites are used by a large number of waterbirds for nesting (Vedanthangal) and foraging (Karikili). An estimated 30,000 birds are present at Vedanthangal Tank during the breeding season. The main species at both the tanks are the Indian Cormorant Phalacrocorax fuscicollis, Little Cormorant Phalacrocorax niger, Darter Anhinga melanogaster, Black-crowned Night-Heron Nycticorax nycticorax, Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis, Little Egret Egretta garzetta, Intermediate Egret Egretta intermedia, Grey Heron Ardea cinerea, Asian Openbill and Indian Pond Heron Ardeola grayii. A small number of Spot-billed Pelicans also visits both tanks. Pelicans breed occasionally in Vedanthangal, mainly on Barringtonia trees (Paulraj and Gunasekaran 1988, Venkatraman and Muthukrishan 1993). According to the booklet produced by the Department of Tourism, Government of Tamil Nadu, 15 species of storks, egrets and cormorants breed in Vedanthangal. The total number of bird species seen is about 115, mostly common species. These tanks are also important as roosting sites for many birds, especially Little Cormorant, outside the breeding season. Large numbers of migratory waterfowl are seen on passage and in winter, particularly the Northern Pintail Anas acuta, Garganey Anas querquedula, Northern Shoveller Anas clypeata, Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus, and many shorebirds and terns, particularly Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida. Santharam (1999) has seen the globally threatened Greater Spotted Eagle Aquila clanga in 1996 in Vedanthangal. This site is selected as an IBA mainly because of the occurrence and occasional breeding of the globally threatened Spot-billed Pelican, and other Near Threatened species and presence of more than 30,000 waterfowl during winter. OTHER KEY FAUNA: There is no large wild mammal of conservation concern in these sanctuaries as they are surrounded by human habitations and agricultural fields.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture | nature conservation and research | water management
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Artificial - Aquatic | 33 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 33 | |
| Shrubland | 33 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: MAIN THREATS: Fisheries; Disturbance to birds; Tourism. At Vedanthangal thousands of tourists come to observe breeding birds, which causes disturbance (Venkatraman 1996b). These sites are owned by the Tamil Nadu Forest Department. Tourists movement in the Sanctuary should be strictly regulated. Nondegradable material should not be allowed.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biological resource use | Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources | Unintentional effects: subsistence/small scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |
| Human intrusions & disturbance | Recreational activities | Ongoing |
Additional information
References: Hume, A. O. and Oates, E. W. (1889-1890) Nests and eggs of Indian Birds. Second Edition, R. H. Porter, London. Paulraj, S. and Gunasekaran, G. (1988) The Vedanthangal water-bird Sanctuary: a new breeding ground for pelicans and Painted Storks. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 85: 414-415. Sanjeeva Raj, P. J. (1956) Occurrence of the Spottedbilled Pelican, Pelecanus philippensis Gmelin, in the Vedanthangal heronry. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 53: 703-704. Santharam, V. (1999) Records of Greater Spotted Eagle Aquila clanga from Southern India. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 96: 470. Spillet, J. J. (1966) A report on Wildlife survey in South and West India. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 65(3): 633-663. Venkatraman, C. (1996a) Studies on the colonial waterbirds and the characteristics of the lake of the Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary, Madras, Tamil Nadu. Ph.D. thesis submitted to University of Madras. Venkatraman, C. (1996b) Human disturbance a major factor for nest destruction. Newsletter for Birdwatchers 36: 33-34. Venkatraman, C. and Muthukrishnan, S. (1993) Density of water birds at Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary, Tamil Nadu. Pp. 55-60. In: Bird conservation, strategies for the nineties and beyond. Bangalore: Ornithological Society of India. (Eds. Verghese, A., Sridhar, S. and Chakravarthy, A.K.). Bangalore: Ornithological Society of India. Whistler, H. and Kinnear, N. B. (1937) The Vernay Scientific Survey of the Eastern Ghats (Ornithological Section): J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 39: 447-463.