Breeding reports and conservation implications of the Endangered Black-bellied Tern Sterna acuticauda J.E. Gray, 1831 (Aves: Charadriiformes: Laridae) in Odisha, eastern India

Abstract

The Black-bellied Tern is an endangered species and its population is declining severely due to the loss and degradation of its foraging and breeding habitats because of increasing anthropogenic activities. We report the breeding of Black-bellied Tern from different localities along the Mahanadi River in Odisha, eastern India. We recommend the protection and conservation of its breeding sites along with regular community outreach activities for the long-term conservation of this globally threatened species.

New record of the Endangered Black-bellied Tern, Sterna acuticauda J.E. Gray 1831, from Tungabhadra River at Siruguppa, Bellary, Karnataka, India

“…In India, Black-bellied Tern has been reported from states of Delhi, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Kerala. Although this species occurs in many states, trends in its population are known only partially (Kar et al 2018). It showed very low occupancy in the Chambal River in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh and, similarly, at Mahanadi in Odisha (Rahmani 2012).…”