Tamil Nadu has six official natural symbols: the Nilgiri tahr (state animal), the emerald dove (state bird), the palmyra palm (state tree), the gloriosa lily (state flower), the jackfruit (state fruit) and the Tamil Yeoman (state butterfly), according to the Forest Department’s state symbols page. The butterfly is the newest, declared in 2019.
Only some of them can be seen around Chennai. The tahr and the butterfly live in the Western Ghats, but the palmyra, the gloriosa and the jackfruit are common in the city’s markets, verges and suburbs. Here is each symbol, its Tamil name and status, and where a Chennai resident can actually find it.
All six at a glance
| Symbol | Species | Tamil name | Near Chennai? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Animal | Nilgiri tahr (Nilgiritragus hylocrius) | Varai aadu | No, Western Ghats only |
| Bird | Emerald dove (Chalcophaps indica) | Maragatha pura | Rare, in moist wooded patches |
| Tree | Palmyra palm (Borassus flabellifer) | Panai maram | Yes, along ECR, OMR and village tanks |
| Flower | Gloriosa lily (Gloriosa superba) | Senkanthal, karthigai poo | Yes, wild in scrub during the rains |
| Fruit | Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) | Palaapazham | Yes, in markets in season |
| Butterfly | Tamil Yeoman (Cirrochroa thais) | Tamil maravan | No, Western Ghats foothills |
Nilgiri tahr: a mountain goat with its own project
The tahr is an endangered mountain ungulate of the high grasslands and sholas of the Western Ghats, an expert climber of steep cliffs. In December 2022 the state sanctioned Project Nilgiri Tahr at Rs 25.14 crore for 2022 to 2027, the first project of its kind in the country, according to a state press release. It funds synchronised population surveys, radio-collaring, restoration of shola grasslands and attempts to bring the animal back to its former range. The same release set 7 October as Nilgiri Tahr Day each year, in honour of the naturalist E.R.C. Davidar.
The second synchronised survey, held from 24 to 27 April 2025 across 177 blocks, estimated 1,303 tahr, PTI reported via The Week. Grass Hills National Park had 334 and Mukurthi National Park 282. The report was released at the Guindy Children’s Park in Chennai in August 2025, together with the Kerala Forest Department. A 2015 WWF estimate cited in the 2022 release had put numbers at about 3,122, but the two counts used different methods and cannot be compared directly.
Emerald dove: the state bird few people see
The emerald dove is a small, ground-feeding pigeon with glossy green wings that keeps to moist forests and plantations, usually alone or in pairs. It is shy and quick to fly off low through the undergrowth. Chennai is mostly too dry for it, so look for it in the Western Ghats or in well-wooded estates rather than in city parks.
Palmyra and gloriosa: the symbols at your doorstep
The palmyra is the symbol most Chennai residents pass every day. It is a tall fan-leaved palm that grows where little else will, and it has fed rural Tamil Nadu with nungu, padaneer, timber and leaf for centuries. Its conservation drives and the new palmyra board are covered in our separate palmyra guide.
The gloriosa lily, with its flame-red and yellow swept-back petals, climbs through hedges and scrub around the city’s edges in the monsoon. The Forest Department notes that every part of the plant is toxic. It is also a cash crop: the TNAU Agritech portal says about 2,000 hectares are grown in western districts such as Tirupur, Dindigul, Karur and Salem, for seeds rich in colchicine, which is used in gout medicines. Admire it in the wild, but keep children and pets from chewing it.
Jackfruit and the Tamil Yeoman
The jackfruit is the world’s largest tree-borne fruit, eaten ripe and raw, with prized timber. Most of what reaches Koyambedu comes from Panruti in Cuddalore district, whose jackfruit is among the state’s geographical indication filings listed by the Agricultural Marketing Board.
The Tamil Yeoman, a tawny-orange butterfly, was picked in 2019 over the Tamil lacewing because it is more widespread in the state’s hills, Mongabay India reported. That made Tamil Nadu the fifth state to name a state butterfly. It is endemic to the Western Ghats and is not a Chennai species.
Why the symbols matter
Symbols do not carry automatic legal protection, but they shape where money goes. The tahr has a dedicated project, and the palmyra has drawn seed-planting drives and a board. They also point to how much of the state’s wildlife lives far from the capital: Tamil Nadu’s forest and tree cover was 24.47 percent of its area in the India State of Forest Report 2023, the Forest Department notes, much of it in the Ghats.
Quick answers
What is the state bird of Tamil Nadu?
The emerald dove, maragatha pura in Tamil.
What is the state animal of Tamil Nadu?
The Nilgiri tahr. The April 2025 survey estimated 1,303.
When is Nilgiri Tahr Day?
7 October every year.
What is Tamil Nadu’s state flower?
The gloriosa lily, called senkanthal or karthigai poo.
Information checked against official sources on 18 October 2026. Fees, dates and rules can change; confirm on the linked official pages before acting.
Sources
- State Symbols (Tamil Nadu Forest Department)
- Project Nilgiri Tahr, press release No. 2370, 28 December 2022 (Government of Tamil Nadu)
- Forest dept records 1,303 Nilgiri Tahr during second survey (PTI via The Week, August 2025)
- The Tamilian Warrior butterfly becomes a state symbol (Mongabay India, August 2019)
- Gloriosa: medicinal crops (TNAU Agritech Portal)
- GI applications and registrations (Tamil Nadu State Agricultural Marketing Board)
- Tamil Nadu forest profile and status of forests (Tamil Nadu Forest Department)
