Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary

Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary

The Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary is one of the oldest in India, Kanchipuram district – 86 kms from Chennai About 250 years ago the locals noticed that this area comprising several lakes and ponds attracted a large number of birds.

About Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary

• The landlords used it as a hunting ground, but the farmers observed that the water from the lake helped to increase their agricultural yield as the bird droppings contributed to the urea content. The farmers then teamed up to protect the birds

• Responding to repeated complaints about hunting expeditions by British soldiers, the Collector granted legal protection to the birds in 1798. 
• The area was recognised as a Sanctuary in 1936 and was named a Reserve in 1962 by the Madras Forest Act.
• It was upgraded to a wildlife sanctuary in 1972 by the Wildlife Protection Act. Till date the local community holds low key functions and marriages during the breeding season of the birds marking their exemplary link with the ecosystem.
• A tank having a compact grove of Barringtonia and Acacia nilotica trees Dry evergreen scrub and thorn forests.
• These sanctuaries are famous for their breeding heronry including cormorants, egrets, grey heron, open-billed stork, darter, spoonbill, white lbnis, night herons, grebes, grey pelican etc. 
• Many migratory birds like garganey teals, shovellers, pintails, stilts, sandpipers etc. Visit the sanctuary in winter.
• A variety of resident birds like coots, moorhen and terns can also be seen. Vedanthangal is the oldest water bird sanctuary in the country.

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