Image of birds flying.
Credit: PTI Photo
Chennai: Tamil Nadu will conduct its third Synchronized Bird Census across the state on December 27 and 28, with an aim to protect and conserve the avi-faunal diversity.
The Synchronized Bird Census for the year 2025–2026 will be conducted in two phases -- Wetland Bird Census (both inland and coastal wetlands) and Terrestrial Bird Census.
The Wetland Bird Census will be conducted on December 27 and 28, as the migratory bird season in Tamil Nadu generally begins with the onset of the North- East Monsoon in October and continues till April, officials said.
“The timing is chosen to bridge the data gaps during the early part of the migratory season. The Wetland Bird Census will be conducted in a minimum of 25 locations per forest division,” Srinivas R Reddy, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden, said.
He said the state has been implementing several flagship programmes, including establishment of Hornbill Conservation Centre and conservation initiatives, Raptor Research Foundation at Advanced Institute for Wildlife Conservation (AIWC), establishment of International Bird Conservation Centre at Marakkanam.
In the state-wide bird census, experienced birdwatchers, volunteers, NGO representatives, professional photographers, and Forest Department officials will participate.
The last Census conducted in March 2025 showed Tamil Nadu had 5.52 lakh wetland birds from 397 species and 2.32 lakh terrestrial birds from 401 species, of which over 1 lakh are migratory birds.
The survey, which was conducted in March covering 934 wetland and 1,093 terrestrial locations, also recorded 26 endangered species and 17 nocturnal bird species, marking a significant achievement in conservation monitoring. Of the total birds, 49 per cent were from coastal districts.
Little egret, Little cormorant, Asian open bill, Black headed Ibis, Glossy Ibis and Indian pond Heron were the most common birds sighted among resident birds, while Greylag Goose, Greater Flamingo, Eurasian Curlew, Pied Avocet, Lesser Crested Tern and Eurasian Spoon bill were the most common birds sighted among migratory birds.
The government will also analyse the voluminous data to get much deeper insights into spatio-temporal variations across the state.