Community composition and status of avifaunal diversity in and around Ottu reservoir of Sirsa, Haryana, India

Abstract

Assessments of avian communities’ composition in different habitats give an emphasis in monitoring environmental perspective. Depending on specific habitat functioning, their population pattern helps to determine the ecological health of an area. Bird surveys were accomplished on a fortnightly basis from October 2019 to September 2020 using Scan sampling, Point count and Line transect methods for evaluation of species abundance and richness in and around Ottu Reservoir, district Sirsa, Haryana (India). A total of 114 species comprising 91 genera, 47 families and 18 orders were recorded, among which 76 species were resident, 30 winter migrants and 8 summer migrants. Out of reported 114 species of birds, one species was vulnerable, 6 Near-threatened as listed by IUCN. Three bird species were listed under Schedule-I and the remaining species under Schedule-IV of IWPA (1972); six species under appendices of CITES (2012). Species such as Rock dove Columba livia, Lesser Whistling-duck Dendrocygna javanica and Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos with decreasing IUCN population trends were reported abundantly in the study area. Analysis of feeding guilds results revealed that Carnivores as predominated guild due to enriched food material. The presence of diverse plantation, aquatic body, serenity and agricultural fields serve the reservoir as potential habitat for residential and migratory species. Therefore, effective measures must be taken for the conservation of this area as a potential site for avian diversity.

Seasonal composition of avian communities in different habitats of Harike Wetland, a Ramsar site in Punjab, India

“…Photography of birds was done during the survey with DSLR camera Canon 1200D (75-300 mm zoom lens) and binocular (Olympus 8-16*40 zoom DPS-I) were used for spotting, and field notes were prepared, followed by identification of birds using field guides (Ali & Ripley 1983;Grewal et al 1995;Grimmett et al 2012) and nomenclature and classification is followed according to Praveen et al (2016). The conservation status of species was assessed according to International Union for Conservation of Nature (2017), and residential and migratory status is based earlier literature and their presence or absence at study site (Grimmett & Inskipp 2010;Rai & Vanita 2021). Relative abundance is based upon the frequency of sightings birds were classified into different categories Very Common (recorded in more than 9-10/10 visits), Common (between 6-8/10 visits), Uncommon (between 3-5/10 visits) and Rare (recorded 1-2/10 visits) relative abundance on the basis of (McKinnon & Philips 1993)…”

Assessing avian diversity and conservation status in Dighal Wetlands, Haryana, India

“…It is worth noting that 20 bird species recorded as migrants in the study area are considered residents of Haryana (Kalsi et al 2020), 2. Given Haryana's location within the Central Asian Flyway, it serves as a crucial wintering ground for migratory birds travelling from northern Asia and parts of Europe (Kumar et al 2016;Kumar & Sharma 2018;Rai & Vanita 2021).…”

“…Birds occupy several trophic levels in the nutrient cycle of wetland ecosystems (Kumar & Sharma 2018;Chakraborty et al 2021;Rai & Vanita 2021;Rajpar et al 2022;Yashmita-Ulman & Singh 2022). Wetlands are important for both resident and migratory birds.…”

Avian diversity and conservation status in Bhindawas Bird Sanctuary, Jhajjar (Haryana), India

“…Birds play an important role in the ecosystem by supporting and regulating various activities like pollination, nutrient cycling, controlling rodents and various pests, etc. (Wenny et al, 2011;Rai and Vanita, 2021; Mariyappan et al, 2023). The ecological role and various services provided by birds are crucial for maintain-ing the healthy functioning of ecosystem and are of great importance for human welfare (Whelan et al, 2015).…”