Avian frugivory and seed dispersal of Indian Sandalwood Santalum album in Tamil

Santalum album (Santalaceae) is a medium sized evergreen tree found in dry forest tracts of the Deccan Peninsula, where the major sandal growing tracts are located in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Sandal is also distributed in parts of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. The species was introduced to several areas of central and northern India, where it has naturalized and spread. It can grow up to an elevation of 1200m and in rainfall zones of 300–3000 mm. Flower panicles appear during December–April and fruiting occurs throughout the year (Matthew 1991). The fruit is a fleshy purplish-black globose drupe measuring approximately a centimetre in diameter. This species also regenerates from wood suckers. Viable seeds are produced after five years and dispersed by birds (Asian Regional Workshop 1998). Fire, grazing and exploitation of the wood for fine furniture, carvin