Common kites flock to pallikaranai marshland in record numbers

Chennai: Marking a milestone in the monitoring of the common kite’s migration patterns since 2012, Pallikaranai marshland has recorded an all-time high of about 1,650 kites this June, nearly three times the seasonal average of 550.The surge, documented by a team of birders led by K V R K Thirunaranan, follows a steep month-on-month climb. The team recorded 72 black kite sightings in April, which rose seven-fold to 501 in May before surging to around 1,650 in June. V A Saravanan, Chennai district forest officer, described the numbers as unexpected and unprecedented.The birds migrate from northern Kerala to Chennai through the Palakkad Gap — a natural mountain pass in the Western Ghats — following a well-established seasonal route triggered by the onset of the southwest monsoon.

Arrivals at Pallikaranai typically begin in April, with numbers peaking between June and Aug. Return migration begins as the southwest monsoon withdraws.C Sashikumar, who monitors raptors including common kites in Kannur, Kerala, said the migration normally begins in the last week of May, but the earlier monsoon onset this year pushed the movement ahead of schedule. He noted a distinct behavioural split within Kerala.

While kites from northern Kerala migrate to Chennai in large numbers during the monsoon, those in Thiruvananthapuram largely stay back, suggesting that migration behaviour varies by region even within the same species.The count also challenges a widely held assumption among birders that common kites congregate wherever landfills are present, as the birds appear in large numbers at Pallikaranai only between June and Aug, regardless of year-round waste availability.