Decadal study reveals sharp decline in waterbird population at Perur-Sundakkamuthur tank in Coimbatore
A ten-year study of the Perur-Sundakkamuthur tank in Coimbatore shows a 73% decline in waterbird populations, with migratory species hit hardest. Researchers attribute this loss to commercial fishing and altered water management practices that destroy essential mudflat habitats.
Why it matters
The findings underscore the conflict between commercial land use and urban biodiversity conservation in rapidly developing regions.
A decade-long systematic monitoring of birds at the Perur-Sundakkamuthur tank in Coimbatore has revealed a worrying trend — a steep decline in the population of several waterbird species, particularly winter migrants.
The study, published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Threatened Taxa , tracked bird populations monthly between May 2014 and April 2024. Researchers documented a total of 129 bird species in the urban wetland, comprising 51 waterbird species and 78 non-waterbirds.
A detailed population trend analysis focused on 37 key waterbird species, categorised across 10 guilds. The findings revealed that the overall abundance of the analysed waterbird species plummeted by nearly 73%, with population declines ranging from 3% to an alarming 99% during the study period.
As per the study, the decline was most severe among migratory species. Shorebird populations registered a 67% decrease, while winter migrant duck species witnessed an extreme drop of 99.5%.
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