ADILABAD: A two-week sweep of Kawal Tiger Reserve’s wetlands has yielded a telling figure: more than 70. That is the number of waterbird species — residents, winter visitors and passage migrants — recorded this month, underscoring the reserve’s role as a seasonal refuge along major intercontinental flyways.
The Annual Waterbird Census, conducted from January 3 to 18 by the Hyderabad Tiger Conservation Society (HyTiCoS) in collaboration with the Forest department, covered select freshwater ecosystems within and around Kawal Tiger Reserve in the erstwhile Adilabad district. Timed with the peak winter arrival of Palearctic migrants, the survey pointed to high species richness and strong habitat suitability. Counts were carried out across five key wetlands — Gadam cheruvu, Kalpakunta and Dostnagar lake in the Oodumpur Range; Kishtapur Lake in the Jannaram Range; and Birsaipet lake in the Birsaipet Range — all vital for foraging, roosting and stopovers.
“We recorded over 70 species across resident, winter migratory and passage migrant categories,” says Dr Venkat Anaganandula, northern Telangana coordinator of HyTiCoS. “A significant share belongs to Palearctic guilds migrating from northern Eurasia and parts of Europe.”
Driven south by freezing wetlands and food scarcity, many of these birds travel over 10,000 km to overwinter in India’s nutrient-rich freshwater habitats. Species documented include Northern Pintail, Common Redshank, Red-crested Pochard, Common Teal, cotton pygmy goose, sandpipers and Temminck’s stint. Most remain until late March, before rising temperatures and changing hydrology trigger their return.
The findings reinforce the importance of inland wetlands as biodiversity reservoirs within the Kawal landscape. Dr Venkat warns of mounting threats from encroachment around non-forest wetlands and agrochemical runoff from nearby farms, both of which degrade water quality and disrupt food webs.
In response, the Telangana government has constituted district-level Wetland Conservation Committees to curb encroachments, regulate land use and promote integrated wetland management.
Of particular conservation interest was the Black-bellied Tern, listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Three individuals were recorded at Kishtapur lake this year, up from one in the previous census, suggesting improved habitat conditions. A Peregrine Falcon was also sighted, signalling ecological complexity.