WINGS – Birds of India Nature Awareness Programme, Thiruvananthapuram 2025, a district-level bird census 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 most of the 10 regions surveyed during the one-day event on December 14. The list included a changeable hawk-eagle, common buzzard, lesser minnow and black-throated monarch. Arippa forest along the Thiruvananthapuram-Shengottai route has also emerged as a species-rich site, providing 83 species, WWF-India said in a statement.
With the help of Kerala Forest Development Corporation (KFDC) forest guides, participants recorded the Sri Lankan Frogmouth, a hard-to-find bird in the forests of the Western Ghats. “The Jawaharlal Nehru Topical Botanic Garden and Research Institute (JNTBGRI), located in the foothills of the Western Ghats, yielded 50 species, reaffirming that sites outside protected areas can serve as important biodiversity hotspots,” WWF-India said.
High diversity
Mountain and forest ecosystems also showed high diversity. The Ponmudi recorded 67 species, including the lesser plover, brown-backed conifer, white spindle and common rose. Bonacaud recorded 73 species, including Indian pitta, four-tailed bulbul, rufous warbler and a large number of brown-backed needlebirds, reflecting the effective coexistence between humans and wildlife in well-maintained forest areas, the statement said.
Black-crested Blue Monarch | Photo credit: Special arrangement
The Vellayani-Punchakkari Wetland, often called the bird center of the capital, has yielded 76 species, including the Amur falcon, peregrine falcon and Baillon’s warbler. Kadinamkulam lake has recorded 36 species including river squirrel, red-billed kingfisher and kingfisher.
51 species were reported from the Akkulam-Veli region, indicating that such rapidly changing urban spaces continue to contain significant biodiversity, according to participants. Around 500 whistling ducks were spotted at the National Center for Earth Science Studies (NCESS) campus, highlighting the role of institutional campuses as sanctuaries or hotspots of biodiversity in the rapidly changing urban landscape, WWF-India said.
Migratory birds
The team, which surveyed Thiruvananthapuram Zoo and Kesavadasapuram paddy fields, recorded 46 species, underscoring the importance of urban wetlands. The presence of migratory birds such as Indian pitta, orange-headed thrush, brown-breasted nightingale, blue-throated nightingale and gray warbler at the zoo reflects the good ecological condition of the city’s green spaces, organizers said.
Almost 50 volunteers from various walks of life took part in the exercise. The participants included scientists, experienced bird watchers, nature lovers, forest guides from KFDC Arippa and college students.
Malabar Hornbill | Photo credit: Special arrangement
This year was the 19th edition of the poll. The initiative was started by Sunjoy Monga, known as Mumbai’s Birdman, who passed away on 28 May 2025. Saju S. Nair, Assistant Conservator of Forests (Social Forestry); Dileep MR, Director, Kerala Institute of Travel and Tourism Studies (KITTS); Renjan Mathew Varghese, Country Director, WWF-India; Anushreedha SS, Project Manager, WWF-India; and AK Sivakumar and Govind Girija, coordinators of WINGS Thiruvananthapuram 2025, addressed the participants.
Published – 28 Dec 2025 19:49 IST
