Good news for conservationists and bird watchers in Madhya Pradesh. The serene Tawa Reservoir, located within the Satpura Tiger Reserve in central MP’s Narmadapuram district, has emerged as the second breeding site for the Indian Skimmer after the National Chambal Sanctuary. A year after two Indian Skimmers were sighted by the park staff, Tawa, a designated Ramsar site, has turned into a breeding site with at least 15 Skimmers spotted since April 2026. The endangered water bird species was sighted by the Satpura staff during boat patrolling. With the Skimmers breeding on the sandbars, the Satpura chowkidars have now donned the role of Nest Guardians – guarding the nests and eggs.
“The presence of Indian Skimmers is more than a sighting, it is a powerful ecological signal. As one of India’s most threatened riverine birds, the Skimmer depends on undisturbed sandbanks and clean, fish-rich waters – habitats that are rapidly declining across the subcontinent,” Satpura Tiger Reserve field director Rakhi Nanda said.
Nanda said Tawa Reservoir has emerged as a vital refuge, reinforcing Satpura’s role not just as a tiger landscape but as a sanctuary for lesser-known, highly sensitive species. Protecting such habitats is no longer a choice, it is an ecological responsibility, he added. According to STR’s Kamti range officer Rahul Upadhyaya, the Indian Skimmers select breeding and nesting sites only after thorough survey. With Tawa Reservoir replete with fish-population and free from illegal sand mining, major human pressure and entry of predators, the water bird species has found it an ideal place to breed, nest and lay eggs.
“While their breeding period spans April and May, the hatching takes at least three weeks. We are now focussed at giving them the safest environment to ensure that their population grows and they go on to make the Tawa Reservoir their most prefered habitat,” Upadhyaya said.
With over 90 per cent of its global population nesting in India, primarily along rivers like the Chambal, its presence indicates clean water and abundant fish. Because they nest in large colonies, their nesting areas often protect other associated species, such as terns and pratincoles. Indian Skimmer is listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List. The Indian Skimmer population in the country is estimated to be between 2,000 and 2,500. Around 50 per cent of their population declined over the last ten years. They have also been documented on the banks of the Mahanadi river in Odisha’s Cuttack district.
