Black-tailed Godwits arrive at Perungulam tank

he arrival of the migratory birds from European has helped spread a smile on the faces of bird watchers and naturalists as the number of godwits has been dwindling in the past few years.
Black-tailed Godwits
Black-tailed Godwits

THOOTHUKUDI: Over 200 Black-tailed Godwits have reached Perungulam tank in Thoothukudi from Europe and Central Asia. The arrival of the migratory birds from European has helped spread a smile on the faces of bird watchers and naturalists as the number of godwits has been dwindling in the past few years.

The long-billed and long-legged Black-tailed Godwits come to Thamirabarani river basin from the northern hemisphere in August and stay there until March. Sources said that the birds prey on shallow water and move to paddy fields when the tanks in the Thamirabarani river basin get filled during the northeast monsoon.

Secretary of Pealcity nature society J Thomas Mathibalan said that the number of birds coming here has reduced drastically over the past three years. "A few years ago, these birds come here in in thousands. It might be due to the climate change that their numbers have reduced to a tickle," he said, adding that wetland bird census in 2020 recorded only 13 Black-tailed Godwits.

Agasthyamalai Community Conservation Centre Research Associate Dr M Mathivanan, who conducts wetland bird census every year, said that Godwits come to tropical countries when their living conditions get worsen in European countries. "They start to migrate when the waterbodies freeze during the winter season in European countries," he said.

Mathibalan added that Perungulam is a unique waterbody which attracts several hundreds of migratory birds basin as it has water throughout the year. "Unfortunately now, the shutters are damaged and water is draining out fast," added Mathibalan.

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