Avian Diversity of Barail Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam

Agricultural Science Digest - A Research Journal, 2018

Birds play a crucial role in many food webs of aquatic ecosystem and the birds are known as good ‘bio-indicators’ as they are very sensitive to minor environmental changes. The present study was carried out in Purbasthali bird sanctuary of West Bengal (India) and its surroundings from January 2016 to December 2016 to explore the current status and diversity of avian fauna. The point count and line transect methods were implemented in bird counting. A total of 86 species of birds belonging to 31 families were recorded from the study area. Anatidae and Ardeidae were the dominant families with highest relative diversity. Residential status, IUCN Red list status and Relative abundance of bird species were also considered. Different diversity indices were also calculated. Purbasthali bird sanctuary supports a huge amount of bird diversity. So continuous monitoring of avian fauna and health condition of the ecosystem by local or state levels on taking integrated management programs will h...

Avian fauna are regarded as important indicators of a country's environmental health (Collar and Andrew, 1988) and their high and low diversities are directly related with the environmental condition of the area. Out of the 1200 species and subspecies of avian fauna recorded earlier in Indian subcontinent (Ali and Ripley, 1987), Assam harbors 946 species and subspecies (Choudhury, 1990). But due to complexity at the subspecies level and lack of recent data on many forms, it was stated in the new checklist that Assam harbors 820 species of birds including few doubtful species which are likely to occur in Assam (Choudhury, 2000). Information of avian species from lesser known important bird areas of the state will be very helpful for future conservation activities (Choudhury, 2000). The Gauhati University Campus harbors a wide and diverse avian population including globally threatened and migratory species. As the University Campus lies in between the mighty river Brahmaputra and the Deepor Beel Bird Sanctuary, it represents a very important area for avian fauna. Renowned scientists of the 1980s-90s report more than 100 species of birds in the University Campus including rare and threatened species such as Pheasant-tailed Jacana Hydrophasianus chirurgus, White backed Vulture Gyps bengalensis, Crested Serpent Eagle Spilornis cheela, Thick billed Green Pigeon Treron curvirostra, Stork billed Kingfisher Halcyon capensis, Grey headed Lapwing Vanellus cinereus, Chestnut headed Bee eater Merops leschenaultia and Black-rumped Woodpecker Dinopium benghalense etc (Borah and Bhattacharjee, 1985; Barman et al., 1996). The scenario of the then varied habitats of the University Campus changes completely during the 2000s due to various developmental activities. Most of the important bird habitats within the University Campus are degrading rapidly due to many anthropogenic activities such as filling of wetlands for various construction works, encroachment in the nearby hillsides etc. The result of all these activities is that the rich avian diversity of the campus is decreasing and rare and threatened birds mentioned earlier such as Hydrophasianus chirurgus, Gyps bengalensis, Spilornis cheela and Vanellus cinereus etc were not encountered these days. Therefore, the present study was conducted to gather recent up-to-date information of avian diversity of the University Campus and their feeding preferences. The study also aims to identify major avian groups suffering the most from the recent habitat disturbances, which will help in formulating conservative measures for the important threatened and migratory bird species of the University Campus and along with their specific habitats. MATERIALS AND METHODS Study area The Gauhati University Campus is located 10Km from the Borjhar Airport,

Avifaunal Diversity is one of the most important ecological indicators to evaluate the status of habitats. Birds are the crucial animal group of an ecosystem which maintains a trophic level. Therefore, detail study on avifauna and their ecology is important to protect them. They are one of the biological control tools to control pests in gardens, on farms, and other places. They abet in the pollinization of plants. Birds are also good seed dispersal.The study was performed in Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary (NBS) during January 2013 to March 2014. NBS covers the 224.60 hectare area and provides breeding grounds to multiple populations of flora and fauna. Surveys were carried out seasonally and observations were made along line transects with the aid of 10x50 binoculars and Canon EOS 1000 D SLR camera. The Avifaunal assessment of NBS includes 150 species of birds belonging to 17 orders and 46 families. The order Passeriformes has maximum 51 species of birds. Purple moorhen and lesser whistling duck are the most abundant residential species in the NBS. Habitat wise classification reveals that 43.33% of birds were dependent on aquatic habitat (65) i.e. Moti Jheel in NBS followed by 6.66% waders (10) and 50% terrestrial birds (75) which shows that the NBS is an important abode of many birds. Food preference of birds showed that maximum species were insectivorous (49) followed by omnivorous (28), piscivorous (25), vegetarian (13), carnivorous (9), granivorous (8), frugivorous (5) and others (13).

Annales Universitatis Paedagogicae Cracoviensis Studia Naturae

The avian diversity of Behali Wildlife Sanctuary, an Important Bird Area IN-AS-05 (A1 and A3) is documented here. A total of 283 species of birds belonging to 21 orders, 69 families, and 194 genera were recorded. The study recorded one critically endangered species, 2 endangered species, 7 vulnerable species, 13 near threatened species and 260 species were least concern. Distribution of birds within the reserve forest and IUCN Red List Categories of them are also provided here.

indianbirds.in

White-backed Vulture G. bengalensis, White-bellied Heron Ardea insignis, Greater Adjutant-Stork Leptoptilos dubius, Sarus Crane Grus antigone, Bengal Florican Houbaropsis bengalensis and Black-breasted Parrotbill Paradoxornis flavirostris. In addition, 16 Near-threatened and, a few range extentions were also recorded. Presence of two 'forest villages', habitat destruction through agriculture, logging, settlement, and poisoning of waterbodies for fishing, and erosion by rivers were noticed as major threats. Recommendations include inclusion of Amarpur within the park, translocation of 'forest villages', awareness campaigns and ecotourism. A checklist of 440 species, including historic records, is appended.

Indian Journal of Natural Sciences, 2022

The diversity and status of bird communities is crucial for understanding the conservation value at regional or local landscapes. Birds are natural sentinels, sensitive and significant environmental bioindicators. Bird research in every location allows us to gain a better grasp of the ecosystem's general health and to demonstrate the importance of any landscape or sanctuary for avifaunal conservation. The study was carried out at the six ranges of Kaimur wildlife sanctuary (KWLS), Bihar, India, from January to March 2021 to investigate the diversity and status of avifauna. The line transect method was used to cover the majority of the research region. There were 178 bird species recorded, divided into 19 orders and 61 families. The Bhabhua range has the maximum bird diversity, with 163 species, while the Adhaura has the least, with only 127 species. With 30 families and 79 species, Passeriformes was the most prominent order. This study also looked at the habitat occupancy and relative diversity index (RDi) of the local avifauna. According to habitat distribution, 69 percent of the species are terrestrially dependent, with aquatic (25 percent) and waders (6 percent) species respectively. The rdi of 5.6 was found highest in the families Anatidae and Accipitridae. As a result, KWLS offers a potential home for sound avifauna with a diverse population. To improve the status of resident and migratory birds, the area requires appropriate management and conservation initiatives as part of ecotourism.

A study of faunal diversity in Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary was done during January 2013 to December 2013. This Sanctuary has an area of 224.60 hectares. The state and nature of the habitat plays a crucial role in diversity and population composition of fauna in study area. For their basic needs, food, roosting and breeding etc., various fauna prefer this site. According to this study Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary is an ideal wetland. The result includes 150 species of birds belonging to 17 orders and 46 families, 10 orders of insects with 61species, 12 species of fishes belonging to 5 families, 16 species of reptiles, 3 species of amphibians belonging to 14 families, 4 species of mollusks belonging to 3 orders, 3 species of annelids belonging to 3 orders and 12 species of mammals belonging to 10 families from Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary. All these faunal species depend on the wetland flora and fauna and nearby agriculture fields.