Asian Waterbird Census-2025: Coringa, adjoining wetlands emerge prime feeding habitat for 106 avian species 

A flock of endangered Indian skimmer (Rynchops albicollis) sighted in the Godavari estuary during Asian Waterbird Census-2025 in Kakinada district.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

CORINGA

A whopping 106 bird species, including nearly 70 migratory species, have been sighted in the Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary (CWS) and the adjoining wetlands in the Godavari estuary spread across Kakinada and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema districts in Andhra Pradesh. None of these species breeds in the Godavari estuary as they have arrived only for ‘feeding’.

As per the Asian Waterbird Census-2025 carried out by the CWS authorities under the aegis of the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) in early January, ‘‘A record number of 39,725 birds belonging to 106 species have been sighted in the Coringa and adjoining wetlands. At least 56 species of them waders.”

Rare diversity

“Three species – Black-bellied tern (Sterna acuticauda), Great knot (Calidris ternuirostris), and Indian skimmer (Rynchops albicollis) are endangered. At least 450 Indian skimmers were sighted in the Godavari estuary. As many as 11 species are Near Threatened and Common pochard (Aythya ferina) is the only Vulnerable species sighted during the census,” claimed ornithologist and wildlife biologist D. Mahesh Babu, an expert on Coringa ecosystem. The Godavari estuary supports the feeding of nearly 90,000 birds as observed by the CWS authorities.  

Most of the migratory birds, including Great knot, have migrated from the Siberia region, Russia, China and Mongolia for winter sojourn in the Godavari estuary which falls in the Asian Flyway Zone. 

Habitats

Bhairavapalem and Etimoga are the prime habitations that remain the major winter destinations of the migratory species. “At least 550 Great knots have been sighted at Bhairavapalem mudflat, where several species have been recorded during the census,” said Coringa Wildlife Ranger S.S.R. Vara Prasad. 

Tagged in Russia, a Great knot which travelled nearly 7,500 km was sighted at Bhairavapalem mudflat in January 2025. The same bird was sighted at Etimoga wetland in the estuary in 2024 winter.

 “We have been sharing the data on the tagged birds with the groups that are working on migratory birds at the global level. Such data will help track the migratory patterns of the endangered species,” said Mr. Mahesh Babu. 

‘’Avian diversity is one of the criteria for declaring a wetland as a ‘Ramsar Convention Site’ of international importance and the Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary and its adjoining areas in Andhra Pradesh deserve to get the status,’‘ say experts.