Impact of cyclone Fani on the breeding success of sandbar-nesting birds along the Mahanadi River in Odisha, India

Cyclonic storms have detrimental effect on birds particularly those inhabit and breed in open and exposed areas like sea and riverine habitats. This note reports the effect of ‘Fani’, one of the severe cyclones that affected Odisha in May 2019 on sandbar- nesting birds along the Mahanadi River. The study found significant relative decline in population, complete failure of nests and survival of chicks. As tropical cyclones are expected to be more frequent in future, it may emerge as new threats for survival of sandbar-nesting birds.