Kokrebellur
Encyclopedia
Kokkarebellur, usually shortened by the colloquial usage to Kokrebellur, is a village in Maddur
taluk of Mandya district of Karnataka, India. The village is named after the Painted Stork
(Ibis leucocephalus) called “Kokkare” in Kannada language
. It is situated near Maddur
between the cities of Mysore and Bangalore
. Apart from Painted Stork
s the Spotbilled Pelicans, are also found here. Both are classified as “near threatened category
” in IUCN Red List
of 2009. The village is one of the 21 breeding sites existing in India.
The uniqueness in Kokkarebellur is the long established bonding between the Spot-billed Pelicans and the villagers who have adopted this bird as their heritage, since they consider the birds as harbingers of good luck and prosperity to the village. The benefits derived by the villagers from these birds are basically in the form of phosphorus and potassium rich manure obtained from the bird droppings called ‘guano’. Further, over the years, the popularity of this uniqueness has also attracted tourists to the village to watch the birds.
“(raw sugar
from sugarcane
).
(F religiosa, F bengalensis) and Tamarind
(Tamarindus indica) trees. The Mandya district, where the village is located, has extensive agricultural fields with sugarcane as a major crop. During the season of migration of birds, large colonies of Spot-billed Pelicans and Painted Storks are seen nesting, mostly in tamarind trees.
. In 1976, Neginhal established viable solutions by introducing a compensatory scheme to benefit the villagers for furthering the cause of proliferation of this breed of pelicans. The birds and the villagers have coexisted now in total harmony for several decades. The Karnataka Forest Department compensates the villagers with a fixed sum of money for each tree that is used for nestling by birds, since benefits from the crops (tamarind) from these trees and from the land below the tree are lost.
(Ibis leucocephalus), Little Cormorant
(Phalacrocorax niger), Black Ibis (Pseudibis papillosa), Grey Heron
(Ardea cinerea), Black-crowned Night Heron
(Nycticorax nycticorax) and Indian Pond Heron
(Ardeola grayii).
The two colonial or migratory birds with propinquity to nestle close to each other are seen nestling in clusters of 15 to 20 pairs per tree and are stated to come back to the same trees, year after year. In the Indian subcontinent
, they arrive after monsoon rains ends in September when the birds create their nests, lay eggs from October to November, thereafter fledge around for three months after laying of eggs, till March and tirelessly feed their hatchlings through the summer season. As summer peaks in May, they re-migrate, year after year, except when they sense drought conditions in their colonial habitat. Village women turning sentimental about the birds returning to their homeland say:
The two migratory birds as seen in Kokkarebellur – the Spot-billed Pelican
(Pelecanus phillipensis) and Painted Stork
(Ibis leucocephalus) - are in the conservation status of “near threatened category
” as per IUCN 3.1 categorization
of 2008 (taxboxes here are taken from the interlinked articles give the scientific details of both). This assessment is based on their rapid declining rate due to many threats. It is also reported that its population is confined to India, Sri Lanka
and Cambodia
.
The birds have distinctly different large anatomical dimensions and colours but both are very active in feeding and protecting their hatchlings. While the painted stork is large in size, the pelican is half this size. Storks have snow-white plumage, lay 2-5 white dotted eggs and have a yellow tapering bill. The pelicans have grey and grayish white plumage, short stout legs, large webbed feet, flat and enormous bill with an elastic bag of purple skin hanging below the throat (that facilitates to collect fish from water surfaces), with length or height in the range of 127–140 cm (50–55.1 in) with tufted crown at the back of the head and lay a maximum of three chalk white eggs at a time.
In addition to above birds, Ring Necked Parakeets known as Rose Ringed Parakeet have also been cited in the village (picture).
, China
, Myanmar
, Thailand, Cambodia
and Laos
) to avert threats in the form of tree felling for agricultural purposes. A community-based project has been established to perpetuate historical links of the pelicans with the villagers.
Kokkrebellur is not a reserved forest sanctuary but is a small village where the storks and pelicans coexist freely, mostly in tamarind trees in the middle of the village, in total harmony with the villagers. Consequently, reports indicate increased nestling activity in recent years. Thus, efforts to conserve these birds have been fruitful and hailed as a “role model” for replication at other places.
The Karnataka Forest Department (KFD), the Mandya Zilla Panchayath, the Department of Minor Irrigation and Department of Fisheries and the Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC) have supported the Local Village Level Committee and NGO organizations to conserve and develop all facilities for the birds. The list of planned activities involved cover the following:
‘Hejjarle Balaga’ (meaning “relatives of Pelican”) of the Mysore Amateur Naturalists (MAN), an NGO, works in unison with the villagers in providing protection to these birds. The villagers with support from volunteers of the NGOs tend to the injured hatchlings/fledglings that fall from the trees by housing them in exclusively built pens, nurse and feed them with fish caught from nearby water bodies.
Its population in southern India, at 21 locations in the states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, is reported to be about 5,000 birds (2006) (its total population in an area of 181000 square kilometre in various countries of Asia is reported in the range of 13,000 - 18,000). Kokrebellur, in particular, has the distinction of increasing its Spot-billed Pelican population by more than double in recent years.
on the Bangalore-Mysore highway. The branch road to the village is 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) from the highway at the ‘Coffee day’ landmark, close to Maddur. It is 20 kilometres (12.4 mi) to the north-east of Mandya. Maddur
and Mandya
are the closest railway stations on the Mysore-Bangalore broad gauge
link. The nearest airport, with daily services to most cities of the country and to some International destinations, is at Bangalore.
Maddur
Maddur is a town in Mandya district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It lies on the banks of the river Shimsha.- Geography :Maddur is located at . It has an average elevation of 662 metres ....
taluk of Mandya district of Karnataka, India. The village is named after the Painted Stork
Painted Stork
The Painted Stork is a large wading bird in the stork family. It is found in the wetlands of the plains of tropical Asia south of the Himalayas in South Asia and extending into Southeast Asia. Their distinctive pink tertial feathers give them their name. They forage in flocks in shallow waters...
(Ibis leucocephalus) called “Kokkare” in Kannada language
Kannada language
Kannada or , is a language spoken in India predominantly in the state of Karnataka. Kannada, whose native speakers are called Kannadigas and number roughly 50 million, is one of the 30 most spoken languages in the world...
. It is situated near Maddur
Maddur
Maddur is a town in Mandya district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It lies on the banks of the river Shimsha.- Geography :Maddur is located at . It has an average elevation of 662 metres ....
between the cities of Mysore and Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
. Apart from Painted Stork
Painted Stork
The Painted Stork is a large wading bird in the stork family. It is found in the wetlands of the plains of tropical Asia south of the Himalayas in South Asia and extending into Southeast Asia. Their distinctive pink tertial feathers give them their name. They forage in flocks in shallow waters...
s the Spotbilled Pelicans, are also found here. Both are classified as “near threatened category
Near Threatened
Near Threatened is a conservation status assigned to species or lower taxa that may be considered threatened with extinction in the near future, although it does not currently qualify for the threatened status...
” in IUCN Red List
IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
of 2009. The village is one of the 21 breeding sites existing in India.
The uniqueness in Kokkarebellur is the long established bonding between the Spot-billed Pelicans and the villagers who have adopted this bird as their heritage, since they consider the birds as harbingers of good luck and prosperity to the village. The benefits derived by the villagers from these birds are basically in the form of phosphorus and potassium rich manure obtained from the bird droppings called ‘guano’. Further, over the years, the popularity of this uniqueness has also attracted tourists to the village to watch the birds.
Etymology
The name of the village “Kokkarebellur” is derived from two words: ‘Kokkare’ meaning “stork” or “Pelican” and ‘Bellur’ meaning” village of jaggeryJaggery
Jaggery is a traditional unrefined non-centrifugal whole cane sugar consumed in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. It is a concentrated product of cane juice without separation of the molasses and crystals, and can vary from golden brown to dark brown in color...
“(raw sugar
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
from sugarcane
Sugarcane
Sugarcane refers to any of six to 37 species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of South Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six metres tall...
).
Geography
The village is located 800 metres (2,624.7 ft) to the west of the Shimsa River. The area in the vicinity of the village offers large water bodies in the form of several large tanks such as the Tailur Kere (‘Kere’ means “tank”), the Maddur Kere and the Sole Kere that sustain food needs (particularly, fishes and shell fishes) of the pelicans and other birds. The village setting at Kokkarebellur has nesting trees in the form of FicusFicus
Ficus is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes, and hemiepiphyte in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending into the semi-warm temperate zone. The Common Fig Ficus is a genus of...
(F religiosa, F bengalensis) and Tamarind
Tamarind
Tamarind is a tree in the family Fabaceae. The genus Tamarindus is monotypic .-Origin:...
(Tamarindus indica) trees. The Mandya district, where the village is located, has extensive agricultural fields with sugarcane as a major crop. During the season of migration of birds, large colonies of Spot-billed Pelicans and Painted Storks are seen nesting, mostly in tamarind trees.
History
History of Pelicans here was probably mentioned by T C Jerdon in 1853, which was further expanded by the pioneering efforts of the senior forest official S G Neginhal of the Indian Forest ServiceIndian Forest Service
The Indian Forest Service is the Forestry service of India. It is one of the three All India Services of the Indian government, along with the Indian Administrative Service and Indian Police Service; its employees are recruited by the national government but serve under the state governments or...
. In 1976, Neginhal established viable solutions by introducing a compensatory scheme to benefit the villagers for furthering the cause of proliferation of this breed of pelicans. The birds and the villagers have coexisted now in total harmony for several decades. The Karnataka Forest Department compensates the villagers with a fixed sum of money for each tree that is used for nestling by birds, since benefits from the crops (tamarind) from these trees and from the land below the tree are lost.
Fauna
Apart from the Pelicans, the other birds found nestling and breeding in the village trees are the Painted StorkPainted Stork
The Painted Stork is a large wading bird in the stork family. It is found in the wetlands of the plains of tropical Asia south of the Himalayas in South Asia and extending into Southeast Asia. Their distinctive pink tertial feathers give them their name. They forage in flocks in shallow waters...
(Ibis leucocephalus), Little Cormorant
Little Cormorant
The Little Cormorant is a member of the Cormorant family of seabirds: Aptly named, the Little Cormorant is small in comparison with other cormorants, only 55 cm in length with an average mass of 442.5 g...
(Phalacrocorax niger), Black Ibis (Pseudibis papillosa), Grey Heron
Grey Heron
The Grey Heron , is a wading bird of the heron family Ardeidae, native throughout temperate Europe and Asia and also parts of Africa. It is resident in the milder south and west, but many birds retreat in winter from the ice in colder regions...
(Ardea cinerea), Black-crowned Night Heron
Black-crowned Night Heron
The Black-crowned Night Heron commonly abbreviated to just Night Heron in Eurasia, is a medium-sized heron found throughout a large part of the world, except in the coldest regions and Australasia .-Description:Adults are...
(Nycticorax nycticorax) and Indian Pond Heron
Indian Pond Heron
The Indian Pond Heron or Paddybird is a small heron. It is of Old World origins, breeding in southern Iran and east to India, Burma, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. They are widespread and common but can be easily missed when they stalk prey at the edge of small water-bodies or even when they roost...
(Ardeola grayii).
The two colonial or migratory birds with propinquity to nestle close to each other are seen nestling in clusters of 15 to 20 pairs per tree and are stated to come back to the same trees, year after year. In the Indian subcontinent
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent, also Indian Subcontinent, Indo-Pak Subcontinent or South Asian Subcontinent is a region of the Asian continent on the Indian tectonic plate from the Hindu Kush or Hindu Koh, Himalayas and including the Kuen Lun and Karakoram ranges, forming a land mass which extends...
, they arrive after monsoon rains ends in September when the birds create their nests, lay eggs from October to November, thereafter fledge around for three months after laying of eggs, till March and tirelessly feed their hatchlings through the summer season. As summer peaks in May, they re-migrate, year after year, except when they sense drought conditions in their colonial habitat. Village women turning sentimental about the birds returning to their homeland say:
For us, these birds are like a daughter coming home for delivery....
The two migratory birds as seen in Kokkarebellur – the Spot-billed Pelican
Spot-billed Pelican
The Spot-billed Pelican or Grey Pelican is a member of the pelican family. It breeds in southern Asia from southern Pakistan across India east to Indonesia. It is a bird of large inland and coastal waters, especially large lakes...
(Pelecanus phillipensis) and Painted Stork
Painted Stork
The Painted Stork is a large wading bird in the stork family. It is found in the wetlands of the plains of tropical Asia south of the Himalayas in South Asia and extending into Southeast Asia. Their distinctive pink tertial feathers give them their name. They forage in flocks in shallow waters...
(Ibis leucocephalus) - are in the conservation status of “near threatened category
Near Threatened
Near Threatened is a conservation status assigned to species or lower taxa that may be considered threatened with extinction in the near future, although it does not currently qualify for the threatened status...
” as per IUCN 3.1 categorization
IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
of 2008 (taxboxes here are taken from the interlinked articles give the scientific details of both). This assessment is based on their rapid declining rate due to many threats. It is also reported that its population is confined to India, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
and Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
.
The birds have distinctly different large anatomical dimensions and colours but both are very active in feeding and protecting their hatchlings. While the painted stork is large in size, the pelican is half this size. Storks have snow-white plumage, lay 2-5 white dotted eggs and have a yellow tapering bill. The pelicans have grey and grayish white plumage, short stout legs, large webbed feet, flat and enormous bill with an elastic bag of purple skin hanging below the throat (that facilitates to collect fish from water surfaces), with length or height in the range of 127–140 cm (50–55.1 in) with tufted crown at the back of the head and lay a maximum of three chalk white eggs at a time.
In addition to above birds, Ring Necked Parakeets known as Rose Ringed Parakeet have also been cited in the village (picture).
Conservation efforts
The spot-billed pelicans are protected by law in India and also in several other countries of the region (Sri LankaSri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Myanmar
Myanmar
Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
, Thailand, Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
and Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
) to avert threats in the form of tree felling for agricultural purposes. A community-based project has been established to perpetuate historical links of the pelicans with the villagers.
Kokkrebellur is not a reserved forest sanctuary but is a small village where the storks and pelicans coexist freely, mostly in tamarind trees in the middle of the village, in total harmony with the villagers. Consequently, reports indicate increased nestling activity in recent years. Thus, efforts to conserve these birds have been fruitful and hailed as a “role model” for replication at other places.
The Karnataka Forest Department (KFD), the Mandya Zilla Panchayath, the Department of Minor Irrigation and Department of Fisheries and the Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC) have supported the Local Village Level Committee and NGO organizations to conserve and develop all facilities for the birds. The list of planned activities involved cover the following:
- Establish and provide grants to the Village Forest Committee (VFC) to protect the birds by nurturing and enhancing the trees (Ficus (F religiosa, F bengalensis) and Tamarind (Tamarindus indica) trees) where the birds nest, collect manure generated by the ‘guano’ or bird droppings of the nestling birds for use by villagers
- Encourage tourism to the village for bird watching and thus assist villagers by way of employment as guides, charging of parking fee for vehicles, camera fee, paid toilet, opportunity for running a restaurant or other tourist facilities
- Provide incentives to the villagers to compensate for the loss of crops (particularly, from the Tamarind trees)
- Maintain hygienic environment in the village through establishing adequate water supply and drainage system
- Create food sources for the birds in the tanks (reservoirs) in the vicinity of the village by introducing indigenous fish species (banning commercial carpCarpCarp are various species of oily freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. The cypriniformes are traditionally grouped with the Characiformes, Siluriformes and Gymnotiformes to create the superorder Ostariophysi, since these groups have certain...
culture), discourage fishing activities and also de-silt the tanks to maintain water in adequate quantity and quality
‘Hejjarle Balaga’ (meaning “relatives of Pelican”) of the Mysore Amateur Naturalists (MAN), an NGO, works in unison with the villagers in providing protection to these birds. The villagers with support from volunteers of the NGOs tend to the injured hatchlings/fledglings that fall from the trees by housing them in exclusively built pens, nurse and feed them with fish caught from nearby water bodies.
Its population in southern India, at 21 locations in the states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, is reported to be about 5,000 birds (2006) (its total population in an area of 181000 square kilometre in various countries of Asia is reported in the range of 13,000 - 18,000). Kokrebellur, in particular, has the distinction of increasing its Spot-billed Pelican population by more than double in recent years.
Access
It is well connected by road, rail and air transport networks. It is at a distance of 83 kilometres (51.6 mi) from BangaloreBangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
on the Bangalore-Mysore highway. The branch road to the village is 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) from the highway at the ‘Coffee day’ landmark, close to Maddur. It is 20 kilometres (12.4 mi) to the north-east of Mandya. Maddur
Maddur
Maddur is a town in Mandya district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It lies on the banks of the river Shimsha.- Geography :Maddur is located at . It has an average elevation of 662 metres ....
and Mandya
Mandya
Mandya is a city in the state of Karnataka, India. It is the headquarters of Mandya district and is located 40 km from Mysore and 100 km from Bangalore.-Etymology:...
are the closest railway stations on the Mysore-Bangalore broad gauge
Broad gauge
Broad-gauge railways use a track gauge greater than the standard gauge of .- List :For list see: List of broad gauges, by gauge and country- History :...
link. The nearest airport, with daily services to most cities of the country and to some International destinations, is at Bangalore.