Vellode Bird Sanctuary

Vellode Bird Sanctuary is located in the Vadamugam Vellode Village of the Perundurai Taluk, located in the Erode District, Tamil Nadu, India. It is located about 12 km from Erode along Chinnamalai main road. Spreading across 77.185 ha. The temperature ranges from maximum of 38oC in summer to a minimum of 19oC in the winter. The sanctuary receives rainfall from the Northeast monsoon between September and December. The wetland plays the primary role of buffering by acting as a sponge during events of floods and extreme rainfall. It is a major source of ground water recharge. No mining of sand or silt is undertaken in this wetland. It is a storage tank which is used to hold water for irrigating the adjoining agricultural fields. This tank receives water through the seepage from the Lower Bhavani Project canal system (the outlet of Lower Bhavani Dam) and through rain water from north east monsoon. There is no provision for inflow of water from the above Canal. However, some water is retained even during dry period in the deeper portions of the lake. Since this tank is mainly a rainfed one and a non-system tank.

Salient Features

• The crop yields are enhanced by guano (bird excreta) produced by the migratory and resident birds
• Part of important migratory bird flyway (central asia flyway)
• Part of important migratory bird flyway (central asia flyway)

CRITERIA

Criterion 2: supports threatened species like spot-billed pelican (nt) and painted stork (nt).
Criterion 3 : supports plants (146),birds (148), reptiles (14), amphibians (6), odanates (11), butterfly (55), fishes (12) and mammals (8) and maintains the biological diversity of the bio geographic region.
Criterion 5: supports more than 20,000 water birds which includes both resident and migratory birds such as terns, ibises, egrets, herons, storks, pelican, ducks, cormorants, small waders.

RAMSAR Certificate