Vellode Birds Sanctuary (வெள்ளோடு பறவைகள் சரணாலயம்) is an sanctuary located in the Erode District in the state of
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. It has been designated as a protected
Ramsar site
A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O)
*** Permanent 8 ha (P)
*** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts)
**
The sanctuary is about 15 km from
Erode Central Bus Terminus
Silver Jubilee Bus Terminus or Erode Central Bus Station is a terminal bus station located in the City of Erode, Tamil Nadu, India. It is located near Swastik Circle at the junction of Mettur Road and Sathy Road about 3 km north of Erod ...
on the way to
Chennimalai
Chennimalai is a town in Erode district, Tamil Nadu, India. It is popularly known as the 'Handloom Town'.
History
Kodumanal is a village located near Chennimalai in the Erode district in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It was once ...
Erode Junction
Erode Junction railway station (Station Code: ED) is the main railway junction serving the city of Erode, Tamil Nadu. Erode Junction is one of the major railway Junction in Southern Railway and is located 3 km away from Erode Central Bus T ...
Railway Station, in the south.
It is located at about 14 km from Perundurai Bus Terminus and 8 km from Perundurai railway station.
And, from Chennimalai, it is about 10 km. Management collects affordable entry fee and also provides binoculars for rent.
Bird species
It is at a large lake surrounded with semi-dark bushes, near Vellode. This sanctuary near
Erode
Erode () is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Erode is the seventh largest urban agglomeration in the state, after Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Tiruchirapalli, Tiruppur and Salem. It is also the administrative headquarters of the E ...
is home to many foreign birds. The sanctuary features thousands of birds coming from various countries, some of which can be easily identified. Some easily found bird species include cormorants,
teal
alt=American teal duck (male), Green-winged teal (male)
Teal is a greenish-blue colour. Its name comes from that of a bird — the Eurasian teal (''Anas crecca'') — which presents a similarly coloured stripe on its head. The word is ofte ...
pelican
Pelicans (genus ''Pelecanus'') are a genus of large water birds that make up the family Pelecanidae. They are characterized by a long beak and a large throat pouch used for catching prey and draining water from the scooped-up contents before s ...
s, and
darter
The darters, anhingas, or snakebirds are mainly tropical waterbirds in the family Anhingidae, which contains a single genus, ''Anhinga''. There are four living species, three of which are very common and widespread while the fourth is rarer and ...
s.
Season
Villagers near this sanctuary are very much concerned about the sanctuary and the birds coming to this sanctuary, so they have taken many serious steps to avoid disturbance to the flow of birds. The best time to visit this sanctuary starts in November and continues until March. During this time birds are mostly busy in building and maintaining their nests. Many observatory towers have been built to watch these birds, around this lake.
This comes under the 'List of Protected areas of Tamil Nadu':
Protected areas of Tamil Nadu
The Protected areas of Tamil Nadu State in South India cover an area of , constituting 2.54% of the geographic area and 15% of the recorded forest area. It ranks 14th among all the States and Union Territories of India in terms of total protecte ...