Tamil Nadu’s latest statewide wetland bird count recorded 6,01,348 birds of 393 species, according to survey results the Forest Department released on World Environment Day this June, UNI reported. That count, for the 2025-26 season, was held on 27 and 28 December 2025, earlier in the season than previous counts, so that the first weeks of the migratory season would be captured, DT Next reported at the time.
Chennai’s marshes, lakes and backwaters are part of this exercise, and of an older, international one, the Asian Waterbird Census. With migrants already arriving on the city’s wetlands this month, here is how both counts work, what they have found and how residents can take part.
The state’s synchronised count
Since 2023 the Forest Department has run a synchronised bird estimate every year: on the same two days, teams across all 38 districts count every bird they can see at fixed points. The method is a direct count, not an estimate from samples. The count now comes in two phases, wetland birds first and land birds later. For the 2025-26 season the second, terrestrial phase was held on 14 and 15 February 2026, with at least 25 locations in each forest division, walked as 2 km transects, and with acoustic recording added to visual counts, DT Next reported.
| Wetland count | Dates | Sites | Species | Birds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | 27-28 Jan 2024 | 894 vantage points | 389 (all birds seen) | 6,80,028 |
| 2024-25 | 8-9 Mar 2025 | 934 wetlands | 397 | 5,52,349 |
| 2025-26 | 27-28 Dec 2025 | 25 per division | 393 | 6,01,348 |
The 2023-24 figures are from the government’s press release, which said 9,800 people took part, 3,350 of them Forest Department staff and the rest volunteers, birders and NGOs. Of the birds counted that year, 5,36,245, or 79 per cent, were water birds, including 28,822 flamingos and 1,73,294 waders, gulls and terns. The 2024-25 figures are from Deccan Chronicle’s report of the results. Because the dates and number of sites change from year to year, the totals are not a straight trend line; a March count misses birds that have already started flying north, while a December count catches some that are still arriving.
What the counts show for Chennai
The state releases mostly statewide totals, and none of the published wetland summaries we checked break out a Chennai figure. The detailed report of the 2025 terrestrial phase does: the Chennai forest division covered 21 spots and logged 114 species and 3,813 birds, 293 of them migrant land birds of 20 species, according to the Forest Department’s report. The same methodology asked each division to cover at least 20 wetlands in the wetland phase.
For a city resident, that means places like Pallikaranai marsh, the Adyar estuary, Perumbakkam and Chitlapakkam lakes, the Kovalam and Muttukadu backwaters and Pulicat further north all feed into the numbers, alongside counts at the state’s bird sanctuaries.
The Asian Waterbird Census
The synchronised estimate is Tamil Nadu’s own. The Asian Waterbird Census is a citizen-science count that began in the Indian subcontinent in 1987 and now spans Asia and Australasia, as part of the global International Waterbird Census run by Wetlands International, according to Wetlands International South Asia. In India it is coordinated by the Bombay Natural History Society with Wetlands International, as the BNHS has explained.
- When: Counts happen in January and February. The recommended window is two weeks and three weekends from the first Saturday of January, though counts from early December to the end of February are accepted.
- Where: Any wetland. Re-counting the same site every year is most useful.
- How: Get the count form and protocol from the national or state coordinator, count, and submit the forms by the end of February.
How to volunteer this season
- Watch for the Forest Department call. The department invited volunteers, students, NGO members and photographers for last December’s count and asked them to register with forest offices. A similar notice usually appears a few weeks before the count.
- Learn the common species first. Counters are paired with experienced birders, but being able to tell an egret from a pond heron helps.
- Bring binoculars and a notebook. Counts start at dawn and finish by mid-morning.
- Join the January count too. Local birding groups often take part in the Asian Waterbird Census; your counts go to the national coordinator.
Quick answers
How many water birds were counted in Tamil Nadu in 2025-26?
6,01,348 birds of 393 species in the wetland phase held on 27 and 28 December 2025.
Who runs the Asian Waterbird Census in India?
The Bombay Natural History Society and Wetlands International coordinate it.
Can anyone take part in the state bird count?
Yes. The Forest Department invites volunteers, students and NGOs to register with its offices before each count.
Are Chennai’s figures published separately?
Only in some detailed reports. The 2025 land-bird report gives 114 species and 3,813 birds for the Chennai division.
Information checked against official sources on 18 October 2026. Fees, dates and rules can change; confirm on the linked official pages before acting.
Sources
- Press Release No. 252: Synchronised wetland bird estimation 2024 (TN DIPR / Forest Department)
- Tamil Nadu Synchronised Bird Estimate 2025: Terrestrial Birds (TN Forest Department)
- Synchronized bird census spots 7,84,868 birds (Deccan Chronicle)
- Tamil Nadu synchronised bird census to begin on Dec 27, volunteers invited (DT Next)
- Tamil Nadu to conduct synchronized bird census on February 14, 15 (DT Next)
- 393 bird species associated with wetland ecosystem recorded in TN during survey (UNI)
- Asian Waterbird Census (Wetlands International South Asia)
- Time to count waterbirds (Bombay Natural History Society)
