Bringing delight to the birdwatching community, the presence of two rare species of terns — the Arctic tern (Sterna paradisaea) and the white-cheeked tern (Sterna repressa) — has been recorded for the first time in Tamil Nadu at the Puthalam saltpans in Kanniyakumari district.
The sightings, made on September 13 and 14, were listed on the global birding platform eBird, marking a milestone for ornithological records in the state.
Independent bird researcher Anand Shibu made the state’s first-ever sighting of the Arctic tern, a species renowned for undertaking the longest annual migration in the animal kingdom, covering nearly 70,000 km between the Arctic and Antarctic regions.
The following day, while revisiting the site with fellow birder Bagavathi Balasubramanian, the team recorded another rare visitor — the white-cheeked tern, a species inhabiting the tropical and subtropical coasts of the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Sea, and the Indian Ocean.
The discovery is significant, as there have been only a handful of Arctic tern sightings across India — previously reported in Ladakh (1990), Mumbai, and Kerala.
The Puthalam record marks just the fifth instance in the country.
These findings add to the growing importance of the Puthalam saltpans as a critical site for migratory and coastal birds.
In addition to these two terns, the site also hosted two other rare and near-threatened species in August — the red knot (Calidris canutus) and the red-necked stint (Calidris ruficollis).
The red knot breeds in Arctic tundra and mountain regions, while the red-necked stint is a small wader of Arctic origin.
With 224 bird species recorded so far, Puthalam has emerged as an essential wintering, feeding, and roosting ground for migratory waders from distant continents.
However, experts warn that the area faces environmental threats from unregulated garbage dumping and encroachment pressures. Conservationists emphasise that protecting the saltpans and adjoining mudflats is crucial to sustaining these migratory species, which rely on such habitats for rest and nourishment during their long transcontinental journeys.
