DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.14545438
title: Rapid documentation of Aquatic Birds of Pallikaranai wetland, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.

description: Pallikarani marsh is a freshwater marsh covering an area of about 80 sq km is situated adjacent to Bay of Bengal and about 20 km south of the city centre. It is among the few and last remaining natural wetlands of South India.

Pallikarani Marsh was designated as Ramsar site on 8 April 2022. This marshland was declared as a Ramsar site due to its 1)Diverse ecosystem: The marsh has a variety of habitats, including deep reservoirs, agricultural fields, and other areas that provide nesting and foraging grounds for birds and other animals. 2)Rare and endangered species: The marsh is home to many rare or endangered species, including the Russell's viper, glossy ibis, and grey-headed lapwings. 3)Migratory birds: The marsh is a breeding ground for thousands of migratory birds from within and outside of India. 190 species of birds have been recorded in the marsh, including 72 migratory species. 4)Fulfills Ramsar criteria: The marsh meets seven of the nine criteria to be declared a Ramsar site.

Because of its topography, the marsh constantly retains some storage, creating an aquatic habitat.The marshland acts as an aquatic buffer for the flood-prone districts of Chennai and Chengalpattu, and it is situated along the Coromandel Coast south of the Adyar Estuary.[10] The residential communities of Perungudi, Siruseri, Pallikaranai, Madipakkam, Velachery, and Taramani, as well as the Old Mahabalipuram Road motorway, around it. Connected to 31 distinct water bodies, this vast low-lying region is covered in a patchwork of aquatic grass species, scrub, marsh, and water-logged depressions. During the monsoon season, the water bodies all release excess water into the marsh. The urban sprawls of Velachery, Pallikaranai, and Navalur are included in its 235 square kilometre (91 square mile) catchment.With an average elevation of roughly 5 meters (16 feet) above mean sea level, the region's landscape is primarily plain. Mostly during the northeast monsoon (September–November), but also during the southwest monsoon (June–August), it receives 1,300 millimetres (51 inches) of rainfall annually. Summer temperatures range from 35 to 42 °C (95 to 108 °F), while winter temperatures range from 25 to 34 °C (77 to 93 °F). The soil type of the area, which is characterised as recent alluvium and granite gneiss, indicates that a significant portion of Chennai's southern region was once a flood plain. A coastal plain with sporadic and overlapping habitat types of scrub forests, wetlands, and farmed land makes up the entire terrain. Large pasturelands, parts of dry forests, smaller satellite wetlands, and a sizable marsh (the Pallikaranai marsh) make up the wetlands. There is no free flow underneath the road that has split the marsh in two.[11] Approximately 90% of the marsh, which was spread across 50 square kilometres (19 square miles) at the time of independence in the 1940s, was destroyed as the city grew and continued to decline at a startling rate. Due to the development of residential areas such as Perungudi, Siruseri, Pallikaranai, Madipakkam, Taramani, and Velachery, the marshes has decreased in size during the past forty years. Approximately 120 different bird species were observed at the marsh almost ten years ago. However, a number of ecological issues in the area have caused a significant decline in their numbers. The Oggiyam Madavu is a contiguous section of the marsh at Oggiyam Thorapakkam that drains into the Buckingham Canal, which then empties into the Kovalam estuary, allowing excess rainwater to be discharged into the sea. The marsh drained over 250 square kilometres (97 square miles), and it was known locally as Kazhiveli, a general Tamil term for marshes and swamps. Its two outflows were the Kovalam Creek and the Okkiyam Madavu.

The diverse ecosystem of the marshland supports approximately 337 species of flora and fauna.Fish, reptiles, and birds are the most common faunal groups. 115 different species of birds, 10 mammal species, 21 reptile species, 10 amphibian species, 46 fish species, 9 molluscan species, 5 crustacean species, and 7 butterfly species can be found in Pallikaranai wetland. The marsh is home to over 114 plant species, including 29 grass kinds. These plant species include some exotic floating vegetation that is very localised and less common today, like water lettuce and water hyacinth.

This dataset records the Aquatic bird species observed during a one day visit to Pallikarani Marsh on 27th of November 2024.

All the birds have been identified upto species level. There are 18 bird species in total, with records of them in 9 different families and 5 different orders.

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