WINGS - Birds of India Nature Awareness Programme, Thiruvananthapuram 2025, a district-level bird count that covered wetlands, forests, hill stations, campuses and urban landscapes across the district, recorded 188 species, WWF-India, which coordinated the event with the Trivandrum Birding Team, said on Sunday.
The Kottoor forests yielded 85 species, the highest among the 10 regions surveyed during the one-day event on December 14. The list included Changeable hawk-eagle, Common buzzard, Small Minivet, and Black-naped monarch. The Arippa forest, along the Thiruvananthapuram-Shengottai route, also emerged as a species-rich site, yielding 83 species, the WWF-India said in a statement.
With the help of forest guides of the Kerala Forest Development Corporation (KFDC), the participants recorded the Sri Lanka frogmouth, a hard-to-find bird in the forests of the Western Ghats. "The Jawaharlal Nehru Topical Botanic Garden and Research Institute (JNTBGRI), situated on the foothills of the Western Ghats, yielded 50 species, reaffirming that campuses outside protected areas can serve as significant biodiversity hotspots," the WWF-India said.
High diversity
Hill and forest ecosystems also showed high diversity. Ponmudi recorded 67 species, including the Lesser coucal, Brown-backed needletail, White-rumped spinetail, and Common rosefinch. Bonacaud recorded 73 species, including Indian pitta, Square-tailed bulbul, Rufous babbler, and large numbers of Brown-backed needletail, reflecting effective coexistence between people and wildlife in well-maintained forest areas, the statement said.
Black-naped blue monarch | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
The Vellayani-Punchakkari wetland, often dubbed the birding hub of the capital city, yielded 76 species, including the Amur falcon, Peregrine falcon, and Baillon's crake. Kadinamkulam Lake recorded 36 species, including Eurasian whimbrel, Common redshank, and Stork-billed kingfisher.
Fifty-one species were reported from the Akkulam-Veli region, indicating that such rapidly changing urban spaces continue to harbour significant biodiversity, according to the participants. Around 500 Lesser whistling ducks were sighted on the National Centre for Earth Science Studies (NCESS) campus, highlighting the role of institutional campuses as refuge or biodiversity hotspots in fast-changing urban landscapes, the WWF-India said.
Migratory birds
The team that surveyed the Thiruvananthapuram zoo and the Kesavadasapuram paddy fields recorded 46 species, underlining the importance of urban wetlands. The presence of migratory birds such as Indian pitta, Orange-headed thrush, Brown-breasted flycatcher, Blue-throated flycatcher, and Grey wagtail at the zoo reflected the good ecological health of the city's green spaces, the organisers said.
Nearly 50 volunteers from different sections of society participated in the exercise. The participants included scientists, experienced birdwatchers, nature enthusiasts, forest guides from the KFDC Arippa, and college students.
Malabar grey hornbill | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
This year marked the 19th edition of the survey. The initiative was started by Sunjoy Monga, renowned as Mumbai's Birdman, who passed away on May 28, 2025. Saju S. Nair, Assistant Conservator of Forests (Social Forestry); Dileep M.R., Director of the Kerala Institute of Travel and Tourism Studies (KITTS); Renjan Mathew Varghese, State Director, WWF-India; Anushreedha S.S., Project Officer, WWF-India; and A.K. Sivakumar and Govind Girija, coordinators of WINGS Thiruvananthapuram 2025, addressed the participants.