Tamil Nadu Raptor Census: 68 Species Documented for Conservation

From the forests of the Western Ghats to the grassy lowlands, Tamil Nadu’s first-ever raptor census documented 68 species of birds of prey across the state to establish baseline data for long-term conservation monitoring.
Conducted simultaneously as diurnal and nocturnal surveys, the exercise spanned 49 forest divisions and mobilised 3,643 participants, forest staff, researchers from the Advanced Institute for Wildlife Conservation (AIWC) and members of the TN Raptors Research Foundation. The scale and coordination of the effort reflect the state’s growing commitment to systematic wildlife documentation.

State forest secretary Supriya Sahu says the census had three primary objectives — establishing baseline data for long-term monitoring, identifying raptor hotspots and mapping current distribution patterns.
“Observations of synchronised bird census from 2022 confirmed the presence of 68 raptor species,” she says. “These birds occupy low densities over extensive areas owing to their large home range requirements and diverse life history traits.”

Observers encountered raptors across a variety of landscapes, from grasslands and open dry habitats to the forested hills of western Tamil Nadu, showing the birds’ adaptability and the state’s ecological variety. But a cause of concern is that generalist carnivores like shikra and carrion feeders were found to be abundant but insectivores and grassland-dependent birds like owls were low in number. The high representation of species such as steppe eagle, tawny eagle and greater spotted eagle suggests that dry plains, agri mosaics, and scrub-grassland systems are critical foraging habitats for migratory and resident raptors.

Western districts such as Coimbatore, Erode, Tirupur and Hosur recorded the highest species diversity, closely linked to their proximity to the Western Ghats and higher forest cover, while coastal districts showed lower numbers. The delta districts surprised surveyors. Western districts logged 451 individual sightings and Delta regions 378, suggesting that moderately diverse habitats can still sustain significant raptor populations.
Surveys were conducted using three methods: vehicle survey, foot survey and nocturnal survey each capturing different ecological dimensions. Vehicle surveys reflected broader landscape-level patterns, while foot surveys revealed more localised variations.

Ahead of the census, a training-of-trainers programme at the AIWC equipped 56 forest officers with species identification materials and standardised datasheets, ensuring methodological consistency across divisions.