Coastal and Marine Bird Communities of India

A total of 223 species of birds were recorded from the coastal wetlands of India, belonging to 30 families under 9 orders. The highest number of species was recorded from the east coast, followed by the west coast, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The order Charadriiformes was highest in dominance, followed by Falconiformes and Ciconiiformes. Thirty one threatened bird species were recorded from the coastal wetlands. There is a need to protect coastal and marine areas with high priority conservation for future research on bird communities.