Avifauna in an Urban Landscape of a Lower Ganges District Of Bangladesh: Community Structure, Seasonality, Habitat Preference and Conservation Issues

Abstract

A yearlong scientific study was conducted using direct field observation technique from November 2020 to October 2021 to investigate community structure, habitat preference, and conservation concerns of birds in the urban setting of Faridpur Sadar Upazila. A total of 168 species under 18 orders and 56 families were recorded and 6,551 individual of birds were counted. The order Passeriformes had the highest species richness (71 species, 42.26%) and abundance (n=3,831, 58.48%). Among the bird species, 48 species (29.58%) were migratory and the rest were resident. During the winter season, the highest number of bird species (156 species, 92.85%) and individuals (n= 2,960, 45.18%) were observed. The overall comparison of species richness and abundance for three seasons were significant. Pair-wise one-way ANOVA for species richness and abundance of birds shows significant differences between winter-rainy and summer-winter seasons.The diversity index showed the highest value in winter season. Analysis of similarity (ANOSIM) test showed a significant difference in birds communities among three-season. Among the 10 types of microhabitats surveyed, trees were the most used by the bird species (103 species, 61.31%) The highest 69 species (41.07%) were very common according to the observation status. The most abundant bird was Pycnonotus cafer with the highest relative abundance (5.15%). Bird hunting, trade, and habitat loss were the major threats for the survival of bird community in this area. Therefore, immediate initiatives are needed to implement for the conservation of bird and their habitats. Dhaka Univ. J. Biol. Sci. 31(2): 343-360, 2022 (July)

Temporal variation, habitat heterogeneity and anthropogenic stressors influencing wildlife communities in an oxbow shaped wetland of lower Ganges floodplain, Bangladesh

“…2A). For the presence of migratory birds in higher number, species richness and abundance are the highest in this season (Chowdhury 2023, Shome et al 2022a, Shome et al 2022b) (Fig. 2B).…”

Community structure, ecology, and conservation issues of avifauna of two human-dominated landscapes in Faridpur district, Bangladesh during Covid-19 pandemic

“…Species were more evenly distributed during the rainy season (E=0.5929). During the winter season, due to the presence of migratory bird species, the number of birds was higher in that period (Sandoval, 2019;Gomes et al, 2017;Aung et al, 2020;Shome et al, 2022a). Habitat uses: Among the observed bird species, the highest number of bird species (65 species, 59.63%) and individuals (n=3497, 64.12%) prefer arboreal types of habitats as their macro habitat.…”

“…At the same time conservation initiative is also missing in that areas, and the human population is increasing. Anthropogenic activities of human in the natural habitat of birds are declining rapidly, and a number of habitat-specialized species are vanishing very rapidly (Shome et al, 2022a). Local people are also unaware of the conservation of bird species, and the illegal trade of birds and bird hunting is one of the major obstacles to conserving birds, especially in rural areas .…”

Unveiling the avian community structure, habitat preference, and conservation concerns in the sal forest of central bangladesh

“…Monitoring bird populations allows conservationists to assess the effectiveness of conservation strategies and identify potential threats to ecosystems (4) . Bangladesh, a small country situated in South Asia, is home to 690 species of avifauna, which play a vital role in various sectors including the environment, ecology, culture, and economy (5,6) . The country's natural forests are divided into three vegetation types and among them decidious, forest holds a significant position in Bangladesh's central, northern and northwestern regions, with a distinct ecological diversity (7) .…”