Annual variation in the Foraging behavior of Selected Wetlands Birds in the Periyakulam Lake of Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, Southern India

Wetlands are amongst the most productive ecosystems on the earth. They support the birds by way of feeding, roosting, nesting and rearing young ones. The Periaykulam Lake in, Tiruchirappalli district of, Tamil Nadu, India is one such habitat frequently used by aerial foraging water birds. Current status of the aerial forager and habitat was studied for the present investigation. A total of six species of aerial foragers were observed from January 2011 to December 2013. We used total count method for estimation. The density was higher recorded for Little Tern (Sternula albifrons) among the other five species recorded ar Periyakulam Lake (63.5 ± 21.11 No./ha.). The density, species richness and diversity varied significantly between the years. The richness was highest during the year 2013 among the years studied. The density, diversity, and species richness of aerial foragers varied significantly among the years (P<0.001).