The Auroville plateau in Villupuram district of Tamil Nadu, India was a wasteland when the community was started in 1968. Considerable effort was expended in reforesting the plateau, and over 1500 ha have been afforested until now. This afforestation has resulted in a tremendous increase in the bird fauna. Early records prior to 1972 show a total of 25 species found, which is the same number still found on the patches of barren land. We updated the bird lists for Auroville recently and found 105 species present. The increase is linked with the variety of habitats available.