NESTING STATUS EVALUATION OF WHITE-BELLIED SEA EAGLE (Haliaeetus leucogaster) IN NORTHERN KERALA
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Date
2023-03-14
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KVASU CENTRE FOR WILDLIFE STUDIES KERALA VETERINARY AND ANIMAL SCIENCES UNIVERSITY POOKODE, WAYANAD
Abstract
The nesting status, nest site and tree characteristics of White-bellied Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster) were studied. The study was conducted from Mahe to Manjeshwaram which covered an area of 150 km along the coastal lines of the Kannur and Kasaragod districts. White-bellied Sea Eagle nests were found in 15 sites in Kasaragod district and 7 sites in Kannur district. The survey also recorded some new sites (N= 7). About 15 sites which were reported earlier were found to be either abandoned or lost. Nests were recorded in different tree species which included Mangifera indica (N=8), Ficus benghalensis (N=5), Casuarina Sp (N=3), Alstonia scolaris (N=2) etc. Nesting trees were found at an average altitude of 16 m above sea level, while some of the sites such as Mottakunnu, Panchajanyam and Kannur Cantonment were at 127 m, 124 m and 145 m above sea level. The nests were located at an average distance of 1075.71 ± 892.28 m from the sea and 1162.43 ± 1148.83 m from the river. The nesting sites were found at an average distance of 33 .85 ± 27.41 m from the roads and 22.75 ± 10.96 m from human settlements. Among the sites, 9 sites had very high ground vegetation followed by 8 sites with low or no ground vegetation. Fifty percent of the sites had medium tree cover. Birds were found to select trees with an average height of 23.21± 4.98 m, an average GBH 4.412 ± 3.99 m, and a canopy spread of 15.15±7.22 m. Tree height and nest height were found to be positively correlated (R^2= 0.8509). Conservation plans were suggested based on the observations.