Abstract

Kadalundi community reserve area is a large wetland located at the mouth of the river Kadalundi   which drains into the Arabian sea on the west coast of Kerala, which provides dwelling of different species of native water birds and migratory birds. The present  study   examines  the habitat characteristic, present status and abundance of  different species of  migratory  Gull birds   such as  Yellow-legged Gull Larus cachinnans Pallas, Brown-headed Gull, Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus, Pallas's gull Ichthyaetus ichthyaetus, Heuglin's gull Larus heuglini and native water birds like Grey Heron Ardea cinerea Linnaeus, Indian Pond-Heron Ardeola grayii Sykes, Western Reef-Heron Egretta gularis (Bosc), etc. The study    conducted   during the period of   June 2015 to July 2016. The methodology was direct observation and counting by the help of binocular   and   observed   birds were photographed. During the study   40 species of birds were recorded.  Among them, 5 types of Gull species, and 15 other types were migrant and 19 species are residential.  Gull species was recorded highest in number (10500 N) during the month of December. It revealed that   maximum arrival of Gull species occurred in the year of 2015 than other past 10 years.  

Keywords

Biodiversity, Sea gull birds, Community reserve, Conservation problem.  

Received on 12/10/2016, Accepted on 17/11/2016, Published on 29/01/2017