Every research endeavour must start with closing the information gap about species distribution and biodiversity systematically. Even though enough avifaunal research has been done on the Gulf of Mannar, southeastern India, there have been limited studies about the avifauna from all 21 islands except two. Increasing species occurrence data on distribution from all the islands is highlighted for the future conservation plans for this Important Bird Area. We provide an updated and detailed checklist and distribution of bird groups for all islands individually from a sampling period of 2015–2022. A total of 96 bird species belonging to 34 families from 13 orders were recorded from all the islands; of which 58 species were waterbirds and other terrestrial ones. Of the 29 shorebird species recorded, one is Endangered and seven are Near Threatened by IUCN Red List. Some of the earlier recorded species, not seen in our survey, are not annotated as no record exists for the last decade.

This document is a first sighting record of the Light-mantled Albatross Pheobetria palpebrate from Rameswaram island in Southern India. This is an unusual record from the region as it has not previously been recorded from either South Asia or the Oriental region.

Avifaunal inventories are crucial to the formulation of conservation and management strategies for habitats and species. An annotated checklist of the birds of the Karangadu eco-tourism area located in the Palk Bay in Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu, was prepared. We listed a total of 107 species belonging to 18 orders and 40 families. Orders Charadriiformes, Suliformes, and Pelecaniformes dominated the habitat. Among the families, Scolopacidae (10 species) was dominant, followed by Ardeidae (9), and Laridae (8). In addition, the study also documented three globally ‘Near Threatened’ species: Painted Stork Mycteria leucocephala, Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa, and Black-headed Ibis Threskiornis melanocephalus. The observed frequency of the species was: 57% (61 spp.) common, 32.7% (35 spp.) uncommon, and 10.3% (11 spp.) rare. Categorization based on the residential status of birds revealed that 31% (33 spp.) were winter visitors, and one was a passage migrant (Rosy Starling Pastor roseus). These baseline data highlight the importance of Karangadu as an important site on the southeastern coast of India for migratory shorebird conservation priorities.

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