CHENNAI: The State Forest Department has scheduled a synchronised bird census in Tamil Nadu on December 27 and 28, and invited volunteers to take part in the exercise.

As per a department release, the census for 2025–2026 will be conducted in two phases. In phase 1, wetland bird census (both inland and coastal wetlands) will be conducted, and phase 2 will have census on terrestrial birds.

The Wetland Bird Census is scheduled to be conducted on December 27 and 28, as the migratory bird season in Tamil Nadu generally begins with the onset of the northeast monsoon in October and continues till April.

The timing is chosen to bridge the data gaps during the early part of the migratory season, the release said.

In 2024-25, the Wetland Bird census was conducted across all 38 districts, covering 934 wetlands in March.

A total of 397 bird species were recorded, including both migratory and resident populations. The overall bird count was 5.5 lakh.

The census will be conducted in 25 locations per forest division. In the State-wide bird census, experienced birdwatchers, volunteers, NGO representatives, professional photographers, and Forest Department officials will participate.

Volunteers, school and college students, NGO representatives, and professional photographers, who are willing to participate in the census are requested to register their names with the offices.