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Site description (2004 baseline):

The Madurai tank, as the name indicates, is located on the outskirts of Madurai city, north of the river Vaigai. The tank is fed by monsoon rains and also by the Periyar-Vaigai irrigation system, located about 2 km from the tank. This irrigation system is on the two rivers, Periyar in Kerala and the seasonal Vaigai. The water is diverted to Madurai tank through channels. The tank contains water till February/March, after which it dries out. Prosopis chilensis and Ipomea mainly dominate the vegetation of the tank, which is infested with Water Hyacinth Eichhornia crassipes.

AVIFAUNA: The site has become significant as the globally threatened Spotbilled Pelican Pelecanus philippensis is present during the monsoon. About 150 Spot-billed Pelicans were reported from this site during April 1997 (Sathasivam 1997). Apart from this, the site harbours several resident and migratory waterfowl. The significant species are Lesser Whistling Duck Dendrocygna javanica, Comb Duck Sarkidiornis melanotos, Cotton Pygmy Goose Nettapus coromandelianus, Spot-billed Duck Anas poecilorhyncha, Garganey A. querquedula, Northern Shoveller A. clypeata, Common Pochard Aythya ferina, Purple Moorhen Porphyrio porphyrio, Common Coot Fulica atra, Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus, Pheasanttailed Jacana Hydrophasianus chirurgus, Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis, Darter Anhinga melanogaster, Little Cormorant Phalacrocorax niger and Indian Shag P. fuscicollis.

OTHER KEY FAUNA: As the tank lies close to the city, the site does not have any large mammal of conservation concern.

MAIN THREATS: Heavy drainage flow from the city; Dumping of wastage in the tank; Human over population; Fishing by explosives.

As the tanks are close to Madurai City, there is heavy traffic on the roads surrounding the Vandioor tank, while Kunnathur is slightly inside and hence comparatively undisturbed. Local conservationists have given a proposal to the Forest Department to declare the 2 tanks together as a bird sanctuary. According to Sathsivam (1997), poachers use explosives for fishing.

Key contributors: V. Kannan, S. Badrinarayanan, S. Balachandran and J. C. Daniel.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Vandivoorand Kunnathur Tanks (Madurai) (India). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/vandivoorand-kunnathur-tanks-(madurai)-iba-india on 27/12/2024.