Assessing avian diversity and conservation status in Dhamapur Lake World Heritage Irrigation Structure, Sindhudurg, Maharashtra, India

We present a preliminary checklist of bird species in the wetland of Dhamapur Lake, a World Heritage irrigation structure in Sindhudurg District, Maharashtra, derived from studies between July 2019 and November 2024. A total of 153 species belonging to 56 families, along with their IUCN Red List status, are documented. Family-wise analysis revealed that the Ardeidae (8 species) dominated, followed by the Accipitridae and Muscicapidae. We documented 102 residents, 21 migratory, and 30 local migratory species in the study area. Categorized according to the IUCN Red List, we documented six ‘Near Threatened’ species, Coracias benghalensis, Ciconia episcopus, Anhinga rufa, Anthracoceros cornutus, Melanogaster fuscus, and Esacus recurvirostris, and four ‘Vulnerable’ species, Ocyceros griseus, Buceros bicornis, Pluvialis squatarola, and Sterna aurantia, highlighting the urgent need to conserve this site.