The flamingos are on their way back to Pulicat. The Andhra Pradesh Forest Department says greater flamingos fly in from their breeding grounds in the Great Rann of Kutch around October and leave around April, and that about 15,000 of them visit the lagoon each year. Chennai birders usually wait a few weeks after the northeast monsoon sets in. It arrived over Tamil Nadu on 15 October 2026, and the big pink flocks tend to build up from December.
The Tamil Nadu part of the lake is a protected bird sanctuary in Tiruvallur district. Its legal paperwork has never been fully completed, though, and that matters for anyone who cares about the birds. This guide covers when to go, what you will see, and where the sanctuary’s status stands.
The sanctuary in figures
The Tamil Nadu Forest Department lists Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary as about 15,367 hectares in Tiruvallur district, notified in 1980. It describes the lake as part of India’s second-largest brackish water lagoon and singles out the winter arrival of thousands of flamingos. The state’s statistical handbook gives the same area and year in its list of protected areas.
The lagoon is shared with Andhra Pradesh. The Andhra forest department describes it as about 70 km long and 1 to 20 km wide, with around 200 bird species. Its list includes both greater and lesser flamingos, along with garganey, pied avocet and grey plover. A December 2025 South First report put the whole lake at 759 sq km.
| Item | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Tamil Nadu sanctuary area | About 15,367 ha | TN Forest Department |
| Year notified | 1980 (order dated 22 September 1980) | TN Forest Department; NGT status report |
| Flamingos visiting each year | About 15,000 | AP Forest Department |
| Bird species recorded | About 200 | AP Forest Department |
| Flamingo season | About October to April | AP Forest Department |
When and how to see the flamingos
In late 2020 DT Next reported flamingos moving back and forth across the state border at Pulicat, with forest staff expecting numbers to pick up by December. That pattern still holds. Water levels decide a lot: a good monsoon spreads the birds over the shallows, and a weak one leaves them in fewer, more distant patches.
- Best months: December to March, when numbers are usually highest and the heat is milder.
- Best time of day: early morning, when the light is soft and the birds are feeding.
- What to carry: binoculars or a spotting scope, water, a hat and some food. Flamingos often stand far out in the shallows.
- Keep your distance: do not chase flocks on foot or by boat, and do not fly drones over feeding birds. A flushed flock burns energy it needs for the return flight.
- Look beyond flamingos: pelicans, storks, herons, waders, gulls and terns all use the lagoon in winter.
Andhra Pradesh holds a Flamingo Festival on its side of the lake. In 2026 it ran on 10 and 11 January, with events around Sullurpeta and Nelapattu. Tamil Nadu has no equivalent festival, so on this side you mostly watch from the shore and the fishing villages.
Why the sanctuary’s legal status is still open
A sanctuary is declared in two stages under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. First comes a notice of intent. Then the rights of people living inside are settled, and only after that is the area finally declared. At Pulicat the second stage has dragged on for decades. A status report filed by the Tiruvallur District Collector before the National Green Tribunal on 25 November 2025, summarised by Down To Earth, set out the history:
- The original sanctuary notification is dated 22 September 1980 and covers the lake and 13 surrounding villages.
- A 1998 draft notification invited claims of rights from residents.
- A fresh draft re-notification was issued on 29 February 2024, again inviting claims and objections.
- The Collector, with the Chief Wildlife Warden, now has to admit or reject those claims. Only then can the final declaration be made, with boundaries fixed.
The 2024 draft worried conservation groups. In April 2024 they wrote to the Tiruvallur Collector, the environment secretary and the Chief Wildlife Warden, Citizen Matters reported. They asked that claims be settled without shrinking the boundary. Their letter pointed to the proposed expansion of the Kattupalli port to the south, to industrial proposals nearby, to siltation, and to effluent from rivers such as the Arani and Kosasthalaiyar.
The lake is also on the state’s list of 100 wetlands picked for notification under the Wetland Rules, 2017. That list names the Forest, Water Resources and Fisheries departments as the agencies involved. Pulicat is not one of Tamil Nadu’s Ramsar sites.
Quick answers
When do flamingos come to Pulicat?
From around October, according to the Andhra Pradesh Forest Department, and they stay until about April. Numbers are usually best from December.
How many flamingos visit?
The Andhra forest department puts it at about 15,000 a year across the lagoon. Counts vary with rainfall and water levels.
Which district is the Tamil Nadu side in?
Tiruvallur. The sanctuary there covers about 15,367 hectares and was notified in 1980.
Is the sanctuary boundary final?
Not yet. A draft re-notification issued in February 2024 is still at the stage of settling residents’ claims, according to the Collector’s November 2025 report to the NGT.
Information checked against official sources on 18 October 2026. Fees, dates and rules can change; confirm on the linked official pages before acting.
Sources
- Bird Sanctuaries (Tamil Nadu Forest Department)
- Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary (Andhra Pradesh Forest Department)
- Statistical Handbook: Forests chapter (Department of Economics and Statistics, Tamil Nadu)
- List of 100 wetlands for notification (Tamil Nadu State Wetlands Authority)
- Daily court digest: major environment orders, 26 November 2025 (Down To Earth)
- Save Pulicat Bird Sanctuary: civil society groups appeal to TN government agencies (Citizen Matters)
- Thousands of migratory birds to adorn Andhra’s Flamingo Festival 2026 at Pulicat Lake (The South First)
- Failed rains keep winged visitors away (DT Next)
