The Karikili Bird Sanctuary comprises two rain-fed non-perennial irrigation tanks spreading over an area of more than 58 hectares. The Site is flat or gently undulating and lies near low ridged, rocky hillocks. Rainfall varies greatly from year to year, from 400 mm to almost 1,700 mm, flooding the Site in the monsoon months from July to September. The vegetation is mainly composed of Barringtonia acutangula and Acacia nilotica trees, raised as plantations by the Forest Department. Surrounding vegetation is composed of scrub and thorn. The Site provides habitat for a variety of resident and migratory birds, most of them waterbirds, as well as a few species of scavengers. The near-threatened oriental darter (Anhinga melanogaster) and spot-billed pelican (Pelecanus philippensis) breed here. The wetland also supports several mammal, reptile and amphibian species such as the jungle cat, bonnet macaque, jackal, python, sand boa and frogs. The Karikili Bird Sanctuary has a history of people cooperating in protecting waterbirds, as their guano enables the supply of nutrient-enriched water to crop fields. The Site was declared a Birds Sanctuary in 1972 and a management plan is currently being implemented to safeguard the biodiversity of the Site as well as the ecosystem services provided to the local communities.