An analysis of the State of India’s Birds (SOIB) 2023 report shows nearly 110 species of birds recorded in Tamil Nadu are currently facing a state of decline nationwide. As many as 86 species found in Tamil Nadu, including birds such garganey, northern shoveler, common sandpiper, and common teal, are under “rapid decline”. 

This has been highlighted by the Salem Ornithological Foundation (SOF) in a Tamil Nadu-specific report using the data in the SOIB 2023 report.

• Indian rollers are very casually seen everywhere in the open fields. But their population is declining nationwide.
• Aravind A.M., an avid birder, says Indian rollers, which are not common in Chennai but are spotted widely in outer areas and towns, have become hard to spot nowadays. 
• “Within Chennai, one species that is not being sighted as commonly as earlier is the rufous treepie,” Mr. Aravind adds.
• With urbanisation and rapidly changing landscapes, a detailed regional report is important to understand the bird patterns, says Mr. Ganeshwar. The trends assessed in the SOIB report were primarily carried out using data uploaded to eBird, a citizen portal for birders and researchers. Mr. Ganeshwar noted that out of 451 species in Tamil Nadu, there are long term trends available only for 39 species. “This is extremely low,” he adds.