Journal of Threatened Taxa |
www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 April 2023 | 15(4): 23114–23118
ISSN 0974-7907
(Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print)
https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.8317.15.4.23114-23118
#8317 | Received 08 December 2022
| Final received 07 March 2023 | Finally accepted 19 April 2023
Additional breeding records of
Hanuman Plover Charadrius seebohmi E. Hartert & A.C.
Jackson, 1915 (Aves: Charadriiformes: Charadriidae) from southeastern
coast of India
H. Byju 1, N. Raveendran
2, S. Ravichandran 3 &
R. Kishore 4
1,3 Centre of Advanced Study in Marine
Biology, Annamalai University, Parangipettai, Tamil Nadu 608502, India.
2 Iragukal Amritha Nature Trust, 61,
Ramachandra Thadaga Street, Thirumangalam, Madurai, Tamil Nadu 625706, India.
4 Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and
Natural History, Anaikatty, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641108, India.
1 byjuhi@gmail.com (corresponding
author), 2 Iant.ravee@gmail.com, 3 sravicas@gmail.com, 4
kishorewfw@gmail.com
Editor: T. Ganesh, Ashoka Trust for Research in
Ecology and the Environment, Bengaluru, India. Date
of publication: 26 April 2023 (online & print)
Citation: Byju, H., N. Raveendran, S. Ravichandran & R. Kishore (2023).
Additional breeding records of Hanuman Plover Charadrius seebohmi
E. Hartert & A.C. Jackson, 1915 (Aves: Charadriiformes: Charadriidae) from
southeastern coast of India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 15(4): 23114–23118. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.8317.15.4.23114-23118
Copyright: © Byju 2023. Creative
Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproduction, and distribution of this
article in any medium by providing adequate credit to the author(s) and the
source of publication.
Funding: None.
Competing interests: The authors declare no competing
interests.
Acknowledgements: Our sincere thanks to the Tamil
Nadu Forest Department for allowing us the bird monitoring surveys in various
ranges. Our special gratitude for children in some field areas who assisted us
in finding the nesting population. We would like to also thank the anonymous
reviewers and subject editor for improving the manuscript.
Abstract: The recent re-evaluation of the systematic
status of the Kentish Plover subspecies Charadrius alexandrinus seebohmi
to a new taxon, Hanuman Plover Charadrius seebohmi, highlighted the gaps
in the research on shorebirds in the Central Asian Flyway. We are presenting
four new breeding records of Hanuman Plover; three from the Gulf of Mannar and
one from Point Calimere. These sites are the nearest south-eastern Indian sites
to the Mannar region of Sri Lanka. Hence the need for Hanuman Plover’s description
as a regional endemic with conservation prioritization, making it a flagship
species in CAF in Sri Lanka and southern India.
Keywords:
Flagship species, Gulf of Mannar, plover, Point Calimere, shorebirds.
Hanuman Plover Charadrius
seebohmi is the latest addition to the global avian species list. It is a
resident shorebird found across the southern tip of India and Sri Lanka. The
recent re-evaluation of the systematic status of Kentish Plover sub species Charadrius
alexandrinus seebohmi based on the phenotype and genetic distinctiveness
from migrants C. alexandrinus and C. dealbatus, the sub species C.
a. seebohmi was elevated to species level with English name Hanuman Plover
(Niroshan et al. 2023). The Kentish
Plover being a widely distributed species have breeding populations across
America, Europe, Asia, and African continents (del Hoyo et al. 1996; Wetlands
International 2006; Meininger et al 2009; Vincze et al 2013). It is abundant
across the Indian subcontinent (Sangha 2021). The Kentish Plover Charadrius
alexandrinus is a diverse species complex, comprising of four currently
recognized taxa: C. a. alexandrinus, C. a. nivosus, C. a. dealbatus, and C.
a. seebohmi, separated geographically with some subtle morphological and
plumage differences (del Hoyo et al. 1996, Kennerley et al. 2008, del Hoyo et
al. 2021). Recent evaluation of the
taxonomic status of the Snowy Plover C. a. nivosus (Küpper et al. 2009)
and the Whitefaced Plover C. a. dealbatus (Rheindt et al. 2011,
Sadanandan et al. 2019) endorsed that these taxa be elevated to species based
on their genetic and phenotypic distinctiveness; which has now been adopted
(del Hoyo et al. 2021; Gill et al. 2021).
As this sub species of Kentish
Plover is updated as a new species, we review the literature based on the old
findings. Ali & Ripley (1983) reported C. a. alexandrinus breeding
from western Pakistan, Gujarat, and northern Indian regions in the Indian
subcontinent. Apart from Sri Lanka, Hanuman Plover also breeds in some areas of
southeastern coasts and a few areas on the western coasts of India. Breeding
evidences of a small population of this species which was considered as a
Kentish Plover subspecies, earlier, in peninsular India are mostly from
wetlands of southern India and Maharashtra (Krebs 1956; Melluish 1966; Ali
& Ripley 1983; Futehally 2006). On the east coast, the breeding
sites reviewed from the literature are from Cuddalore (Krebs 1956; Ali & Ripley 1983),
Chengalpattu-Chennai, and Point
Calimere (Melluish 1966; Futehally 2006) of Tamil Nadu. In Pulicat and Chilika
lakes, the subspecies level of identification was not done for the breeding
birds (Sangha 2021). On the western side of India, the breeding reports were
from Upper Wardha Dam at Vidarbha, Maharashtra (Kasambe 2007; Kasambe &
Wadatkar 2007) and Vani Vilasa Sagara of Karnataka (Rao et al. 2018). Rasmussen
& Anderton (2005) stated that the northern distribution limit of C. a.
seebohmi is unknown, and Kentish Plovers recorded in the south are likely
to be C. a. seebohmi. Considering the new taxonomy re-evaluation, we can
consider these as Hanuman Plovers.
During our shorebird monitoring
programme on the southeastern coast of India from 2017 to 2022, we documented
four breeding accounts of Hanuman Plover from Tamil Nadu. Our breeding records
are given site wise: Site1 was Pillaimadam (9.28240N, 79.10870E)
(Figure 1) abutting Palk Bay, adjacent to the Rameswaram Island, is a saltwater
lagoon and is bridged by a bar mouth to Palk Bay in the north. The lagoon is
bounded by grassy areas on the landward side. Shorebirds, large wading birds,
gulls, and terns are seen regularly. Site2 was Dhanushkodi (9.198580N,
79.38330E) (Figure 1) in the Rameswaram Island on the Gulf of Mannar
(GoM) region is a lagoon with both mudflats and sandy areas. This is one of the
best bird congregation sites during the coastal bird’s migratory season in the
GoM region. The intermittent pools and the grass like patches on the fringes
serve as breeding grounds for ground-nesting birds like larks. Site3 was
Valinokkam (9.16180N, 78.62840E) (Figure 1) is an area
with salt pans and prawn cultures. The excess water from these is pumped out
and thus a man-made lagoon formed with mudflats. Gulls, terns, shorebirds, and
large wading birds aggregate in good numbers here. We have observed that the
presence of grassy streaks bordering the lagoon leads to some ground-nesting
birds like larks breeding here regularly.
Site4 was Kodiyakadu (10.32700N, 79.77680E) near
Great Vedaranyam swamp (Figure 1) is bounded by grass patches with sand beds
also supports shorebirds and large wading birds.
This species nests generally from February to July
along the coasts and dried mudflats; between April and July at GoM
(Balachandran 1995). Our present studies also registered the breeding from
February itself. The breeding records from each site with details are as follows.
In Site1, we documented the adults and two chicks on 15 June 2022 (Image 1). In
Sites2 & 3, we spotted the nest with three eggs in the clutch (Image 2) and
adult birds’ incubating (Image 3) on 24 March 2017. This was confirmed after
the parent bird had reached the nest with eggs and started incubating. In Site
4, we surveyed the chick and the adult on 28 February 2020. Hanuman Plover and C.
alexandrinus can be differentiated in the field during breeding plumage by
the identification pointers like the latter being slightly larger and having a
rufous tinge on the crown (Hayman et al. 2011).
During the breeding season, Hanuman Plover lacks the black fore-crow,
which becomes darker in breeding plumage, and eye-stripe compared to Kentish
Plover nominate race that arrives at GoM by September and departs by mid-March
(Balachandran 1995). C. seebohmi also has dark grey legs in both sexes,
while C. alexandrinus have black legs. Although it is challenging to
differentiate the Kentish Plover nominate race from Hanuman Plover during the
winter, we were able to characterize it from the nominate race because we
recorded incubating adults, eggs, as well as adults with weeks old chicks.
Kentish plovers are ground-nesting
birds (Amat & Masero 2004), often with a preference for low, open, moist
nesting sites away from thick vegetation and human activity. The nests of
Hanuman Plovers we observed were shallow scrapes, partially filled with
pebbles, small snail shells, pieces of dry mud, and vegetation near the grass
patches on the shores. In Sites1, 2 & 4, the nests were seen in areas that
formed as small water pools near the lagoons / main water body. It was very
difficult to identify until we patiently watched them in pairs for rather some
time and in breeding plumage near the nests. Also, with chicks, the adults were
seen patrolling the new-born ones.
The breeding system of Kentish
plovers is unusually diverse (Székely et al. 2006). Both parents
incubate the eggs, but after the eggs hatch, one parent (usually the female)
may abandon the family to find a new mate, resulting in monogamy, polygyny, and
polyandry within a single population (Lessells 1984; Kosztolányi & Székely
2002; Székely et al. 2006). Even though our investigation was not designed
primarily to examine nest attendance, casual observations of nests of Hanuman
Plover revealed that the pairs followed a consistent schedule of nest
attendance. We also observed that the chicks when hatched were mostly attended
to and escorted by both parents up to the second week of hatching.
The new breeding records of Hanuman
Plovers from distinct locations along Tamil Nadu on India’s southeastern coast,
spanning hundreds of kilometres, should lead to the need of conservation of
these sites as an important step for habitat protection. This could reiterate
the need to protect the breeding habitats that are in non-protected areas. As
mentioned earlier, these areas also accommodate many waterbirds including Near
Threatened long distant migratory species such as Bar tailed Godwit Limosa
lapponica, Black tailed Godwit Limosa limosa, Red Knot Calidris
canutus, etc and Endangered species like Great Knot Calidris
tenustirostris. Habitat destruction
and the ever-increasing need for economic development are major challenges for
the survival of this species just like any other wild species. Other
conservation threats we perceived in all the sites is the presence of stray
dogs chasing shorebirds. In Sites1 & 2, children used to pick up eggs of
ground nesting birds in general out of ignorance and for fun which must be
overcome by creating awareness in the breeding areas. Moreover, these breeding
plovers have limited breeding and wintering range emphasizing the need of
protection. From the literature search on breeding records, no recent nesting
population observations are recorded from these coasts on Hanuman Plover breeding.
Hence, the current study also highlights that this species might be breeding in
other wetlands of Tamil Nadu. This also emphasizes the need of comprehensive
exhaustive survey and monitoring to be undertaken throughout the state to
establish understanding of the breeding sites of Hanuman Plovers for future
conservation and evaluation of the species status. The description of C.
seebohmi as a regional endemic could make this species a flagship species
in conservation prioritization in the Central Asian Flyway in Sri Lanka
(Abeyrama & Seneviratne 2018) and south India.
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