Karaivetti Bird Sanctuary

Karaivetti bird sanctuary is located in Ariyalur District (10° 58' 32.232'' N 79° 2' 40.4124'' E) and covers an area of 453.7 ha. The Sanctuary lies in the Central Asian Flyway and is an important breeding and foraging site for both resident and migratory birds. The wetland has been declared as Ramsar site with site number 2537. Karaivetti Bird Sanctuary is one of the Important Bird Areas (IBA's) of Tamil Nadu (Code No. IN – TN -13, Criteria: A1, A4i, A4iii). The site acts as home for more than 500 species of Flora and fauna

The sanctuary is one of the largest inland wetlands of Tamil Nadu and also helps in irrigation and recharging the ground water of the area. The lake is supplemented by the north-east monsoon rainfall from October till January

Salient Features

• Provides nesting habitat for threatened species.
• The Crop yields are enhanced by guano (bird excreta) produced by the migratory and resident birds.
• International bird and biodiversity area code: IN-TN-13.

CRITERIA

Criteria 2 : Supports threatened species like Common Pochard, River Tern and Flap-shelled Turtle.
Criteria 3 : Helps in maintaining the biological diversity of the biogeographic region
Criteria 4 : Supports bird species such as Spot-billed Pelican, Black-headed Ibis and Indian Flap-shelled Turtle at a critical stage in their life cycles
Criteria 5 : More than 20,000 bird species visit the site regularly.
Criteria 6 : Support 1% population of Black-headed Ibis and Oriental Darter.

RAMSAR Certificate