Karaivetti Bird Sanctuary in Ariyalur district, which was recently recognised as a Ramsar site hosts over 20,000 feathered visitors from all over the world.
About
Covering 453.7 hectares, Karaivetti is home to over 500 species of flora and fauna.
Its geographical location on the Central Asian Flyway makes it an important breeding and foraging ground for birds.
It is surrounded by paddy fields and so far has been free from the human wildlife conflict. More than 20,000 migratory birds visits the wetland regularly.
The heronry of Karavetti Birds Sanctuary has more than 10,000 individuals of colonial nesting water birds.
Near-threatened bird species like Spot-billed Pelican, Black-headed Ibis and Oriental Darter nest in the trees of the wetland.
The Indian Flap-shelled Turtle can be found nesting in the swampy regions here.
The sanctuary, one of the largest inland wetlands of Tamil Nadu, was recently declared a Ramsar site, along with the Longwood Shola reserve forest in The Nilgiris.