Karaivetti Bird
Sanctuary, Ariyalur
The Karaivetti Bird Sanctuary, is a
4.537 km2 (1.752 sq mi) protected area located
at Karaivetti village in Ariyalur District of Tamil Nadu, South India and established on April 5, 1999. It is one of the largest
freshwater lakes in southern Tamil Nadu. At least 188 species of birds have
been recorded in the sanctuary. International name is Karaivetti Wildlife
Sanctuary, Important bird area code
no. IN268, criteria: A1, A4i, A4iii.
Karaivetti is a lake fed by the River Kaveri and by rainwater,
about 50 km northeast of Tiruchchirappalli town. This freshwater lake is fed by
Pullambadi, Kattalal canal. It is the biggest water body 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.
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 & 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.
It is located about 35 kms to the north of Thanjavur in Ariyalur Taluk. The sanctuary is home to a variety of
migratory birds that visit the sanctuary during the November. Over 2.5 lakhs
birds arrive in this sanctuary.
Of the 188 species of birds recorded in the sanctuary, 82 are
water birds. The sanctuary is one of the most important fresh water feeding
grounds for migratory water birds. The water birds arrive at the tank from
September after water is released from the Mettur dam.
According to Forest Department sources, during the course of the
first half of the migratory period, a large number of teals and ducks are drawn
to the spot as the water level is deeper. As water starts receding, larger
birds such as painted storks and open bills start thronging.
Water in the tank is at the maximum storage in April when the
maximum number of birds arrives at the sanctuary.
Being an irrigation tank, there is no natural forest within the
sanctuary.
KARAIVETTI BIRD SANCTUARY
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Location
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The Karaivetti Bird Sanctuary is located in Ariyalur District of
Tamil Nadu.
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Area
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4.537 km2(1.752 sq mi)
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Coordinates
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Governing Body
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Tamil Nadu Department of Forests
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Established
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1999
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Taluk
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Thirumanur
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Nearest city
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Thanjavur (35 km)
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Source
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Lowest elevation
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Highest elevation
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370 m (1,210 ft) AMSL
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2,000 millimeters (79 in)
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Avg. Summer Temp.
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33 °C (91 °F)
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Avg. Winter Temp.
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14 °C (57 °F)
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Wildlife Found
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Important birds are Rosy pastor, Peregrine falcon, Osprey, Marsh
Harrier, Tawny Eagle, Bar-headed Goose, White stork, White necked stork, Grey
pelican and Ibis. So far 16 species of Ducks, 23 species of Waders and 100
species of land birds have been recorded.
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IV
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Nearest airport
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Trichy 50 Km
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Nearest Railway Station
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Thanjavur 35 Km, Trichy 50 Km
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Best season
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December to January
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Entry fees
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Entry is free for all visitors
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Accommodation
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Accommodation is available in private hotels and lodges in
Thanjavur (35 km) and Trichy (50 km)
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For greater details
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Wildlife Warden,
Point Calimere WLS, Collectorate,
Nagapattinam 611 002,
Nagapattinam District,
Phone No : 04365253092
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Geography
The sanctuary is a large irrigation tank located in the northern alluvial plains of the Kaveri River. It is fed during the northeast monsoons by
the Pullambadi canal, an aqueduct from the Kaveri via the Venganur reservoir and dam. It is one of three interconnected reservoirs. It is
one of the largest freshwater lakes in southern Tamil Nadu. An important aspect
of this sanctuary is the presence of water till the month of May as most nearby
water bodies dry up by the month of March. It remains dry from June till August.
Rainfall ranges from 800 mm (31 in) -2,000 mm
(79 in). It is often referred to together with another nearby tank
and called Vettakudi-Karaivetti Bird Sanctuary.
Location
The sanctuary has an area of 321 Sq. Km with 108 Sq. Km of
National Park area.
It lies within 11o 30’ N to 11o 42’ N and 76o 30’ E to 76o 45’ E.
Rainfall ranges from 800 - 2000mm. Temperature varies from 14o C
to 33o C.
Altitude ranges from 100’ MSL to 1200’ MSL.
Flora
Aquatic vegetation includes: ganthian sp., sedge sp., bullrush & Hydrilla. Shoreline trees include wattle, neem, Indian beech sp., and casuarina sp. These trees provide habitats necessary for breeding
waterbirds. The Social Forestry Department has planted Cassia trees along the northern and western shores of the
reservoir.
Fauna
Important birds here are long migrants including the high
flying bar-headed goose, white stork, woolly-necked stork, rosy pelican, spoonbill, open bill stork,
and grey heron, night heron, Pond heron, purple heron, egrets and glossy ibis.
The diving birds little cormorant, kingfisher, Indian cormorant and sixteen species of ducks, including spot-billed duck, common pochard, tufted pochard and northern shoveler, plus Coots and Twenty three species of waders, including whiskered tern, gull- Billed tern,
and little tern, sandpipers, little ringed plover and
Kentish plover, have
been recorded in the sanctuary.
In addition, there are several Near threatened species found here including: oriental darter, black-bellied tern, black-headed Ibis, painted stork and spot-billed pelican. In
January, 2003, 375 Spot-billed Pelican were sighted by the Asian Waterfowl
Census.
Sixteen species of Ducks and twenty three Species of Waders have
been recorded in the sanctuary. Birds start arriving in November and stay on
till May. Population of migratory birds is maximum in the month of January. Up
to 50000 birds have been recorded visiting the sanctuary during peak season.
Important land birds visiting sanctuary include the Rosy Pastor, Peregrine
Falcon, Osprey, Marsh Harrier, Tawny Eagle, etc., Nearly 100 species of land
birds have been recorded in the sanctuary. However, the ideal time to visit the
sanctuary is during the months of November and February. There were 59 species listed in the 1999-2000 BNHS/Asian waterfowl count, Tamil Nadu statewide count.
The sanctuary is notable as a breeding area of waterbirds. During the March 2002 water bird census,
250 nests were counted with the grey pelican, spoonbill pelican, ibis, open
bill stork and little cormorant found to be breeding. In addition, darter,
little egret, grey heron, night heron, painted stork, oriental black-headed
ibis and Eurasian spoonbill breed
here. Karaivetti is one of at least 58 active heronries in Tamil Nadu.
A total of 188 species of birds, including 101 migrants, has been
identified from Karaivetti Lake. Thirteen species of ducks have been identified
from this IBA site, the majority consisting of Garganey Anasquerquedula,
Northern Pintail Anas acuta, Northern Shoveller Anas clypeata and
Spot billed 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 numbers a flock of 475 was seen in June
2002. 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 numbers of
birds recorded here are between 20,000 to 60,000, mostly Anatidae. Therefore,
this site qualifies A4iii criteria also, besides qualifying A1 (Threatened
Species) and A4i (=1% biogeography population).
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.
Conservation
Karaivetti Bird Sanctuary is administered by The Principal Chief Conservator of
Forests through the Tamil Nadu Forest Department, Wildlife Warden, 110 Public Office Road, Nagapattinam - 611 001. It is
state-owned and under the control of the Public Works Department, Agriculture
Department, and Fisheries Department. The lake supplies water for irrigation
and domestic use. Fishing is carried out on lease basis. There is grazing by
domestic livestock. There are privately owned paddy fields surrounding the reservoir.
In 2007-2008, a scheme for the development of Karaivetti Bird
Sanctuary was sanctioned by the Government of India, Ministry of Environment and Forests and implementation begun. This project includes: conducting
water bird census, micro planning and formation of Eco-Development committees
in 2 Villages, alternate income generation activities through micro credit in 1
Village, promotion of eco-tourism through publicity and awareness, arranging 4 eco-camps,
documentation of sanctuary wildlife, engaging anti-poaching watchers, awareness
creation in 2 Villages and maintenance of visitor’s facilities. Dalmia
Cement Co. has constructed an observation tower at Karaivetti Bird Sanctuary.
Bird Identification and surveys are done regularly by the
Karaivetti Bird Monitoring Project of the Bishop Heber College,
Au Sable Institute of Environment Studies. Their updated list of birds at
Karaivetti has 188 species including a few threatened birds. Bird banding is
also organized there with the help of the Bombay Natural History Society.
Approach
The sanctuary is located 50 km from Trichy and 35 km from
Thanjavur. The nearest township Ariyalur is situated 12 km from the sanctuary.
Tourist information
A notable aspect of the sanctuary is regular nesting of
waterbirds. During March 2002 water bird census, 250 nests were counted and
species like the Grey Pelican, Spoonbill, Ibis, Open bill stork, Cormorant
etc., were found to breeding.
The sanctuary is basically an irrigation tank that received water
from Mettur dam and north east monsoons. It remains dry from June till August.
Entry
fee: Entry is free for visitors
Ideal
time to visit: Sanctuary is during
December to January.
The sanctuary is open to visitors throughout the year.
The sanctuary is open to visitors throughout the year.
Accomodation
Accommodation is available in private hotels and lodges in
Thanjavur (35 km) and Trichy (50 km)
Contact
Wildlife Warden,
Point Calimere WLS, Collectorate,
Nagapattinam 611 002,
District Nagapattinam,
Tel: (04365) 253092
Connectivity
Karaivetti Bird Sanctuary is well connected with all modes of
transport. Tiruchirapalli airport is about 65 kms from Thanjavur. Thanjavur
also has a railway junction of its own, which helps the tourists to communicate
between Thanjavur and many other prominent regions of Tamil Nadu. The nearest
airport is located at Trichy that is located at 95 kms.
