Diversity and Conservation of Waterbirds in the Northern Avifaunal Region of Sri Lanka

Wijesundara, Chaminda; Warakagoda, Deepal; Sirivardana, Udaya; Chathuranga, Dilan; Hettiarachchi, Tharangi; Perera, Nuwanthika; Rajkumar, Packiyanathan; Wanniarachchi, Saumya; Weerakoon, Gayani

doi:10.4038/cjs.v46i5.7462

Cited by 8 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 5 publications

(7 reference statements)

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“…It has a wide distribution in the Old World including southern and eastern Spain and southern France, parts of northern and western Africa, from east Africa to South Africa and Madagascar, and east to Kazakhstan and through Middle East to India and Sri Lanka (Primack, 2010;del Hoyo et al, 2017). In Sri Lanka, it is mainly found in the northern parts of the island (Wijesundara et al, 2017b), where, in some areas such as Jaffna region, it is one of the most abundant migratory bird species (Wijesundara et al, 2016). Even though it is generally recognized as a migrant species, a large number can be seen year-round in the Jaffna Peninsula (Wijesundara et al, 2016;del Hoyo et al, 2017;Wijesundara and Rajkumar, 2017;Wijesundara et al, 2017a;Wijesundara et al, 2017b).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Sri Lanka, it is mainly found in the northern parts of the island (Wijesundara et al, 2017b), where, in some areas such as Jaffna region, it is one of the most abundant migratory bird species (Wijesundara et al, 2016). Even though it is generally recognized as a migrant species, a large number can be seen year-round in the Jaffna Peninsula (Wijesundara et al, 2016;del Hoyo et al, 2017;Wijesundara and Rajkumar, 2017;Wijesundara et al, 2017a;Wijesundara et al, 2017b). It is found in fluctuating numbers in the eastern and southeastern coastal areas (Warakagoda et al, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They typically feed in saline lagoons and salt pans (del Hoyo et al, 2017). Hence, the Jaffna region may be considered a stronghold of this species in Sri Lanka (Wijesundara et al, 2017a;Wijesundara et al, 2017b). The area has many brackish or salt water habitats suitable for flamingos.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The area has many brackish or salt water habitats suitable for flamingos. Apart from this area, considerable numbers of flamingos have also been recorded in Mannar (Wijesundara et al 2017b), where the low gradients of the littoral region enables them to stand in the sea more than 1 km away from the shore.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Asia many greater flamingos spend their winter south of the breeding range, reaching southern India and Sri Lanka (del Hoyo et al, 2017). In Sri Lanka, large flocks overwinter in lagoons in the North and some reach even the Eastern and Southern Provinces, and some non-breeders are present year-round (Wijesundara and Rajkumar 2017;Wijesundara et al, 2017b). Their nearest known breeding site is the Rann of Kutch at the India-Pakistan border (Ali and Ripley 2001), where one of the largest congregations of Greater Flamingos in the world can be seen (Shivrajkumar et al 1983).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Population size and movements of the Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) in the Jaffna peninsula, Sri Lanka: Results from a long-term study

et al. 2018

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The Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) is an uncommon migrant bird species found in Sri Lanka, and is a major attraction among avitourists. Jaffna Peninsula, Mannar Island, and the southeastern coastal areas are the known strongholds of this species in Sri Lanka. Previous studies on this species in the Jaffna Peninsula are limited, most probably due to the inaccessibility of the area during the three-decade long civil war. Hence, the objectives of the present study were to determine the population size and movements of the Greater Flamingo in major flocking areas in the Jaffna Peninsula. The study used point counts to determine population size. Binoculars and spotting scopes were used for observations. Counts were taken monthly for five years from April, 2013 to April, 2018 to cover both migratory and nonmigratory seasons. To determine their movements, we mapped the location of flocks using a GPS throughout the study period. The estimated total population size for Greater Flamingo in the Jaffna Peninsula is 6245±300. The highest average count (1081) was recorded from Nagar Kovil area with mean flock size of 367±73. Flamingos were recorded during both migratory and non-migratory seasons. The highest number of birds was observed from June-August. During the height of the dry season, flamingos moved away from western parts of the Jaffna Peninsula and concentrate on eastern parts possibly due to the higher abundance of food. The wetlands are the highly preferred habitats of the flamingos. The year-round presence of flamingos indicates that they remain in Sri Lanka beyond the migratory season as summer loiterers. The present study shows that the Jaffna Peninsula is an important area for the Greater Flamingo, thus protecting their preferred habitats is critical for their survival.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%