Another uncommon avian visitor has been reported from Kerala, in what appears to be a very vibrant birding season. A Black-naped Tern has been seen and photographed from the Ponnani beach, Malappuram on 28th of april,2018 by Krishnakumar K Iyer. Mr.Krishnakumar, who works as a spot editor and assistant director in the Malayalam film industry, follows bird-watching as a passionate hobby. He is a member of “Kole birders” a collective of bird-watchers that monitors birds in the Ramsar site Kole Wetlands that spreads over parts of Thrissur and Malappuram districts. Earlier in the season, avid birders from Kerala had sighted Black Tern [19 Nov 2017, Premchand Reghuvaran] and Mew Gull [2 Feb 2017, Arun B] from the state for the first time. What delights the birders more with the present finding is that the Black-naped Tern is being reported for the first time from the Indian mainland with photographic evidence. Earlier confirmed reports of the species in Indian territory were from the Lakshadweep islands and the Andaman & Nicobar islands. The checklist of birds of Kerala has grown richer by adding the Black-naped Tern as the 520th entrant.
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