Coimbatore: In what could be a delightful result for bird and butterfly watchers of Coimbatore, the synchronised bird and butterfly survey that was held here has fetched 211 bird species and 192 butterfly species.
Coimbatore: In what could be a delightful result for bird and butterfly watchers of Coimbatore, the synchronised bird and butterfly survey that was held here has fetched 211 bird species and 192 butterfly species.
The two-day survey jointly organised by the Coimbatore Forest Division (CFD), Coimbatore Nature Society(CNS), Worldwide Fund for Nature and the Tamil Nadu Bird and Butterfly Society has shown results that will make environmentalists happy.
The survey which focused on birds and butterflies has fetched over 200 species of butterflies, thus signifying a positive sign for butterfly conservation.
About 15 teams including 66 naturalists from Coimbatore, Tirupur, Chennai, Erode, Salem, Madurai, Trichy, The Nilgiris, Theni and 40 forest officials participated in the survey. “The teams followed a defined and structured survey methodology to record birds and butterfly species present which was explained to them during the opening meeting,” stated the organisers.
The District Forest Officer, D Venkatesh said that the data generated through the survey would be used as a baseline for future study and formulate conservation models for future, which are area and species-specific. With the survey expected to be carried during all seasons right through the year, officials stated that it would help in continuous monitoring of the ecosystem.
D Boominathan, Landscape Coordinator of WWF-India commented that it was heartening to see that the field level staff of the Forest Department were being exposed to birds and butterflies, while their primary focus would usually be the elephants and tigers. He requested for continuous monitoring of the status of birds and butterflies of the division.
Among the total number of 211 birds, 12 were water birds, 16 were vultures and raptors, 7 were owls and nightjars and the rest 176 were the assorted family of birds. 21 migratory species were also spotted.
The landscape was dominated by the Indian Peafowl, Spotted Dove, Bulbuls, Woodpeckers, Bee- eaters, Parakeets, Minivets, Sunbirds and Munias, apart from the ever-dominant Crows and Mynas. Important birds such as White-rumped Vulture, Indian Vulture, Nilgiri Wood Pigeon, Mountain Imperial Pigeon, Green Imperial Pigeon, Oriental Turtle Dove, Peregrine Falcon, Barred Buttonquail, Malabar Pied Hornbill, Malabar Grey Hornbill, Great Hornbill, Legge’s Hawk Eagle, Grey-headed Bulbul, Jungle Owlet, Verditer Flycatcher, Large-billed Leaf Warbler and Forest Wagtail were also spotted.
Among the total number of 192 butterflies recorded, 15 belonged to swallowtails (Papilionidae), 27 belonged to the whites and yellows (Pieridae), 56 belonged to the Nymphalidae family, 54 belonged to blues and judies (Lycaenidae and Riodinidae) and 39 to the Skippers (Hesperiidae).
While butterflies such as Common Rose, Lime Butterfly, Grass Yellows, Common Emigrant, Mottled Emigrant, Tigers and Crows, Bushbrowns, Sailers, Pansies, Lineblues, Grass Blues, Awls, Chestnut Bob, Borbo species were seen dominating in all ranges of the forest division during the survey, interesting species such as Sinhalese Five-ring, Common Onyx, Nilgiri Grass Yellow, Blue Admiral, Nilgiri Tit, Common Sergeant, Many-tailed Oakblue, Common Imperial and Leaf Blue were also spotted. Of these, the Sinhalese Five-ring from the Nymphalidae family is the first photographic record in Coimbatore district, according to the organisers.
