Godavari-Krishna mangroves

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The Godavari-Krishna mangroves are a Mangrove ecoregion of India's southeastern or Coromandel Coast. The ecoregion covers an area of 7,000 square kilometers (2,700 square miles), in discontinuous enclaves extending from the state of Orissa in the north to Tamil Nadu in the south. The largest mangrove community in the ecoregion lies in the delta of the Godavari and Krishna rivers in Andhra Pradesh; other mangrove communities can be found at Point Calimere in Tamil Nadu, Pulicat Lake in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, and the Bhitarkanika Mangroves and Chilika Lake in Orissa.

The predominant mangrove species include Avicennia marina, Suaeda spp., Rhizophora spp., and Bruguiera spp. The mangrove forests are home to 140 bird species, including the threatened Lesser Florican (Eupodotis indica), and large communities of aquatic birds such as flamingoes (Phoenicoptreus spp.), spot-billed pelicans (Pelecanus philippensis), spoonbills (Platalea spp.), and painted storks (Mycteria leucocephala).

[edit] External link

• Godavari-Krishna mangroves (World Wildlife Fund)