Importance of conserving a critical wintering ground for shorebirds in the Valinokkam Lagoon—a first study of the avifaunal distribution of the southeastern coast of India

Abstract

Any new economic activity in a virgin area brings landscape changes, making it essential to document baseline biodiversity areas to understand the impacts on habitats. Avifaunal inventories are critical for previously undocumented areas like the Valinokkam Lagoon in the Ramanathapuram District of Tamil Nadu, which is an undocumented wintering site for shorebirds in the Central Asain Flyway (CAF). To formulate site and species-specific conservation management tools, the first bird baseline recorded 154 species of 16 orders and 46 families from August 2016 to February 2023. Order-wise, Charadriiformes (47 species) dominated the study area, followed by Passeriformes (39 species) and Pelecaniformes (20 species). Furthermore, according to the IUCN Red List Category, 11 Near Threatened (NT) species, one Endangered (EN) species (Great Knot Calidris tenuirostris), and one unassessed Hanuman Plover (Charadrius seebohmi) were recorded. The relative abundance indicated that 61 % (94 species) were Common (C), 26.6% (41 species) were uncommon (UC), and 12.3 % (19 species) were rare (Ra). Based on the residential status, winter visitors constituted 37.6 % (58 species) and one Passage Migrant (Rosy Starling Pastor roseus). This baseline data emphazises the importance of Valinokkam Lagoon as a crucial wintering site in the CAF on the southeastern coast of India for migratory shorebirds and the need for more conservation priorities for regional endemic birds like Hanuman Plover.