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Site description (2004 baseline):

Tiruchirappalli district of Tamil Nadu has a large number of irrigation reservoirs, fed by the River Kaveri and by rainwater. Karaivetti is one such lake, about 50 km northeast of Tiruchchirappalli town. This freshwater lake is fed by Pullambadi, Kattalal canal. It is the biggest waterbody in the district and attracts hundreds of thousands of birds every year. Considering its importance as a bird habitat, the Government of Tamil Nadu declared it as a bird sanctuary in 1999. When full, the lake can hold water to an average depth of 3 m (Anon. 1993). From April to August, the water level is low. In the northern dry part of the lake, cotton, castor, maize, gram and coriander are cultivated annually, while in the wetter southern part, paddy and sugarcane are cultivated. The natural and planted vegetation consist of Acacia nilotica, Prosopis chilensis, Azadirachta indica and Tamarindus indica. The Acacia nilotica plantation is the major nesting site for birds. In the wetland, Typha angustata and Fimbristylis sp. are present. Ipomea aquatica grows as a weed in many parts of the reservoir. Floating and partly submerged plants include Elodea, Hydrilla, Salvinia and Spirodella sp.

AVIFAUNA: A total of 188 species of birds, including 101 migrants, has been identified from Karaivetti lake (Anon. undated; Relton 1998). Thirteen species of ducks have been identified from this IBA site, the majority consisting of Garganey Anas querquedula, Northern Pintail Anas acuta, Northern Shoveller Anas clypeata and Spotbilled Duck Anas platyrhynchos. Up to 1,000 Bar-headed Geese Anser indicus are found in some years; the 1% population threshold for this species is 560 (Wetlands International 2002). The Spot-billed Pelican Pelecanus philippensis, a globally threatened species, congregates in Karaivetti lake in large numbersa flock of 475 was seen in June 2002 (Anon., undated). The 1% threshold is only 40. A small number of White Stork Ciconia ciconia (7 recorded in October 2000) is also found, but the number is much less than its 1% threshold of 45. Ten species of waterbirds breed here. Among them are the globally threatened Spot-billed Pelican and Near Threatened Oriental White Ibis Threskiornis melanocephalus, Painted Stork Mycteria leucocephala and Darter Anhinga melanogaster. Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia also breeds in this site. During winter, the total number of birds recorded is between 20,000 to 60,000, mostly Anatidae. Therefore, this site qualifies A4iii criteria also, besides qualifying A1 (Threatened Species) and A4i (=1% biogeographic population).

OTHER KEY FAUNA: As this is a lake system, not much terrestrial fauna is present, except for some Golden Jackal Canis aureus and Black-naped Hare Lepus nigricollis in the scrub patch and plantation. However, the lake supports 15 species of fish.

MAIN THREATS: Grazing; Disturbance to birds.

The Forest Department permits local people to fish in April and May, with a strict ban on fishing in the daytime, and no fish less than 250 gm to be caught. However, this regulation is not being enforced effectively, as a result fishing occurs throughout the day and all sizes of fish are caught with impunity. During summer, when the water level is low and a large part of the lake dries up, cattle graze in the area. This activity is not harmful per se but the number of cattle should be regulated, to avoid overgrazing. With its enormous and varied populations of birds, Karaivetti Bird Sanctuary has great potential to attract birdwatchers and tourists. There is a need to establish a nature interpretation centre to show the importance of the wetland and waterfowl to the general public.

Key contributor: A. Relton.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Karaivetti Wildlife Sanctuary (India). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/karaivetti-wildlife-sanctuary-iba-india on 27/12/2024.