COIMBATORE: To commemorate the birthday of renowned ornithologist Salim Ali, the Tamil Birders Network launched a new website (tamilbirds.wordpress.com) about birds in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday evening.
The website has information related to the number of birds across Tamil Nadu and their various names, including Tamil names, along with the number of birds counted during the Pongal Bird Count (the annual bird monitoring programme for Tamil Nadu). So far, birders have been sharing information related to birds on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
"There are multiple Tamil names for a bird," P Jeganathan, one of the Network coordinators, told TNIE. "Each differs from one district to another. This website will give finalised names based on guidelines prepared by birdwatchers of Tamil Nadu." For instance, the yellow-billed babbler is called Tavitukuruvi. In other parts of Tamil Nadu, it is called Poonil Kuruvi. So all these names will be documented based on the guidelines. This guideline is also available on the website.
The meeting also discussed guidelines for ethical birding.
"The website has clear instructions for birders to stop using recorded voices of birds to attract them for taking photos, and they should not approach near the bird's nest. These are a few guidelines for ethical birding," said a birder.
The website has information related to the Tamil Birders Meet and guidelines for naming birds in Tamil. There are 546 species of birds and 8,565 eBirders in Tamil Nadu.
Dr Santharam, K V Sudhagar, the Madras Naturalist Society, Asian Waterbird Census Tamil Nadu Coordinator Dr Badrinarayan, S V Ganeswar, and Angeline Mano worked together to bring this website into existence.