Forest dept to conduct state’s first-ever raptor assessment from Jan 31 to Feb 1

IN a first-of-its-kind exercise, the Tamil Nadu forest department will conduct a two-day statewide raptor assessment on January 31 and February 1 to map the distribution and relative abundance of birds of prey across diverse habitats.

- S V KRISHNA CHAITANYA @Chennai

Changeable Hawk-Eagle

The survey is being carried out in collaboration with the Advanced Institute for Wildlife Conservation (AIWC) through the Tamil Nadu Raptor Research Foundation, which was established in July 2025.

Raptors, including kites, eagles, hawks, falcons and owls, play a key ecological role as apex predators and scavengers, helping regulate prey populations and maintain balance in ecosystems.

“The objective is long-term monitoring. Conservation success is defined by change over time, not by numbers at one point,” a senior forest official said. “This assessment will help us understand trends and link them to possible causes, which is essential for targeted conservation action.”