About Pulicat Lake

• It is the second-largest brackish water lake (saltwater lagoon) in the country located at the border of the states of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu on the Barricade Island of Sriharikota.
• The barrier island of Sriharikota separates the lagoon from the Bay of Bengal and is home to the Satish Dhawan Space Centre.
• The lagoon encompasses the Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary and is a Ramsar site.
• Major part of the lagoon comes under Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh.
• Also called Pazhaverkadu, the lake is popular as a flamingo-watching site and for water activities.
• The prime season to visit is between October and March as during that time over 20,000 migratory birds come to the lake for breeding purposes.

Why in News?

• Due to comfortable storage in the major reservoirs in Nellore district, migratory birds, including the famous flamingos, have started arriving at the picturesque Pulicat Lake, the largest brackish water ecosystem in the country, next only to Chilika in Odisha.
• The arrival of greater flamingos and pelicans has just begun. 
• Pulicat is an ideal breeding site for spot-billed pelicans.
• It is also home for black-headed ibis, Asian openbill, black-crowned night heron, and little cormorant. 

References:

1. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/andhra-pradesh/winged-visitors-begin-reaching-pulicat-lake/article36263777.ece
2. https://www.incredibleindia.org/content/incredible-india-v2/en/destinations/chennai/pulicat-lake.html
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulicat_Lake