Why Kokrebellur is a haven for winged beauties

The village of Kokrebellur has unobtrusively been doing their bit to conserve storks and pelicans. Read on...

Driving down the old Bengaluru-Mysuru highway, the sight of a yellow tourism board indicating the way to Kokrebellur, also known as Kokkarebellur, just before you hit Maddur is a familiar sight. The village, which gets it names from kokkare (Kannada for painted stork) is located about 15 km from Maddur. While this sleepy hamlet boasts of as many as 135 species of birds, it is most famous for its painted storks and spot-billed pelicans that have been migrating here for decades.

While the pelicans start flying in around November, the painted storks arrive a little later as they are accustomed to warmer temperatures. By February, these winged beauties add a riot of colour to the large trees of the village where they pair up, breed and lay eggs in the nests they build.

As the eggs hatch, the birds nurse their chicks and fly out between June and July. Incidentally both these species have been classified as Near Threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

These birds are adored by the villagers who view them as harbingers of good luck and prosperity. While you can view these birds literally everywhere in the village during the season, the Nature Interpretation Centre in Kokkrebellur throws light on the history of Kokkrebellur, its surrounding landscape and explores the symbiotic relationship between the villagers and the birds. This small yet engaging centre set up by World Wildlife Fund, India (WWF) in collaboration with HSBC’s Water Programme is a must visit if you are a bird and nature lover.

Replete with models, photographs and insightful information boards, the centre is a treasure house of information on Kokrebellur and its history. One finds that the village of Kokrebellur is almost 300 years old and was earlier located on the banks of River Shimsha. However, in 1916, the village was struck by an outbreak of plague which forced its inhabitants to set up base about 800 meters away. Surprisingly, the birds followed suit preferring to live in proximity with humans despite the absence of a water body.

This symbiotic relationship has flourished over the years. In fact, the first record mentioning Kokkrebellur and its pelicanry dates back to 1864, and is attributed to British naturalist TC Jerdon. A visit to the centre reveals that the village which was declared a community reserve in 2007 is the only community reserve in Karnataka, among the 45 in India. The village is also one of the 21 breeding sites of the spot-billed pelican in South India.

The centre also reveals how the landscape has dramatically changed in the last 50 years with the wetland area reducing from 3.88% to 1.82% while the area under agriculture has doubled. Further, social and economic factors have recently posed a threat to the habitat and existence of birds.