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Site description (2004 baseline):

Kokkare Bellur is situated about 80 km from Bangalore in Maddur taluk of Mandya district. A small perennial river called Shimsha runs nearby. From December to June, hundreds of Spot-billed Pelican Pelecanus philippensis and Painted Stork Mycteria leucocephala move from the lakes of south India to establish breeding colonies on the tall trees in the very heart of the village. Over the next six months, bird and man co-exist peacefully, it is as if the entire village has acquired a second storey. ‘Upstairs’ the birds court, mate and rear their young ones, and ‘below’, the life for the people of the village goes on. Even in the midst of wedding celebrations, when loudspeakers blast music all over the village, the raucous sounds of the birds, the quiver of heavy wings and the clatter of stork bills continue unaffected (Manu and Jolly 2000). Nobody quite knows why the storks and pelicans, both exclusively fish-eaters, continue to breed in Kokkare Bellur, which is several kilometres away from any substantial waterbody. What is certain, however, is that both species have been coming here to breed for generations; village legends put it at well over hundreds of years. The very name of the place, ‘Kokkare’ meaning stork bears this out. This must surely be a reference to the original village of Kokkare Bellur which dates back several hundred years.A herostone, dug up in a villager’s field in 1974, commemorates the death of an inhabitant of Bellur (presumably someone prominent) after a hunting accident. After a plague in 1916, the old village was abandoned and the population resettled a couple of kilometres from the river. Apparently, the birds came too. Possibly the Shimsha, today a fast-flowing, shallow river (due to uncontrolled sand-dredging on the banks), was then deep and slow moving and offered a foraging site for the pelicans. Today, the birds feed at the abundant lakes and irrigation tanks up to 100 km from the village (Manu and Jolly 2000). Main tanks are Sule Kere, Malavalli Kere, Koppe Kere, Marehalli Kere, Shetty Kere and Karanji Kere. According to Saxena (1980) the pelicans arrive first (by November) to settle on the crowns of mature, large-canopied trees. The lighter, more agile, storks come a few weeks later (by December/January), taking up residence on the outer branches. They also colonize smaller trees, which are too flimsy for the pelicans. There are only a dozen known breeding sites of Grey Pelicans left in India and Kokkare Bellur is one of the most significant sites. Kokkare Bellur is a typical dry land village with cultivated and fallow fields, cactus hedges and trees, both old and young, in the fields and in the village.

AVIFAUNA: Besides the pelicans and storks, which are the star attraction of this IBA, 141 bird species have been identified (Manu and Jolly 2000). This site is identified as an IBA mainly because a significant breeding population of Spot-billed Pelicans is present at this site. This is also one of best examples of community-based protected areas in India.

OTHER KEY FAUNA: No large wild mammal is reported from this area. There is no data on reptiles and amphibians.

MAIN THREATS: Lopping and felling of nesting trees; Tourism; Bridge building.

The construction of a two-crore (20 million) rupee bridge over the Shimsha river is almost complete. This will be followed by widening of the road to help cope with the increased traffic through the village. The new bridge will provide a shortcut, saving 25 km on the journey to Kala Muddammna Doddi, a town with important business and educational facilities and a sugarcane factory. The road widening will involve the loss of eight trees, five of which are mature tamarind trees used by the Pelicans for nesting. Apart from agriculture, the main sources of livelihood are animal husbandry (sheep and goats) and sericulture. Sand from the river is dredged and transported by manpower and a bullock cart (this dredging is totally unregulated). Many of the women and young men work as daily wage labourers in the sugarcane fields of the surrounding areas. People also go to the nearest town for work. The main resource of the village is the trees. The wood provides fuel and the leaves become fodder for livestock and silkworms. Another unique and important resource much prized in the village is the guano or bird droppings from the colonies of Spot-billed pelicans and Painted storks nesting on the village trees. These birds are mainly fish-eater, and provide copious quantities of phosphate and nitrogen-rich fertilizer, which the villagers have traditionally used to fertilize their fields.The farmers barter their food grains produce for guano to use it as a fertilizer. Kokkare Bellur is one of the better known examples of a peopleinitiated conservation effort. A few members of the Mysore Amateur Naturalists (MAN), a local NGO, have been living in Kokkare Bellur and have reported that nesting areas in the village are being threatened. Attempts have been made by MAN to establish a nursery for the chicks that fall out of nests due to various disturbances. (Subramanya and Manu 1996). A recent problem is the increase in the number of crows in the village that constantly prey upon the eggs and chicks. The storks are easily disturbed by the presence of outsiders as they move about the nesting sites (though apparently not by the movement of local villagers). The crows take this opportunity to attack the nests. Mysore Amateur Naturalists has appealed for help in tackling the crow problem and the management of the area in general.

Key contributors: K. Manu and V. Kannan.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Kokkare Bellur (India). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/kokkare-bellur-iba-india on 23/11/2024.