Population and conservation threats to the Greater Flamingos Phoenicopterus roseus (Aves: Phoenicopteriformes: Phoenicopteridae) at Basai Wetland and Najafgarh Jheel Bird Sanctuary, Haryana, India

Abstract

Greater Flamingos are the largest and most widespread, among other species of Phoenicopteridae. This study documents the population structure and conservation threats affecting the population and habitat of the flamingos at Najafgarh Jheel Bird Sanctuary and Basai wetland in Haryana, India. The study areas were surveyed monthly between May 2019 to February 2020 at regular intervals. A Nikon 8 X 40 field binoculars and a Nikon SX60 camera were used to observe flocks of P. roseus. A total of 65 flocks of flamingo were observed, and 6,768 individuals were counted using point counts method. Najafgarh Jheel Bird Sanctuary holds a major proportion of their population comprising about 91.78 % and Basai wetland holds about 8.21 % of their population, while 52.46 % of the total population were classified as adults, and 47.53 % were juveniles (sub-adults). Habitat fragmentation resulting from construction of roads is one of the major threats, while overgrowth of water hyacinth, cattle grazing and fishing activities at Basai Wetland, adversely affected the flamingos. At the Najafgarh Jheel, cattle grazing was considered to be the major threat, followed by the overgrown water hyacinth, fishing activities and collision with high tension power lines.

Population abundance and threats to Black-headed Ibis Threskiornis melanocephalus and Red-naped Ibis Pseudibis papillosa at study sites in Jhajjar district, Haryana, India

“…The transition of these wetland can diminish the feeding stations of a number wading birds-which could be the ultimate factor for their declining population (Chaudhary 2018). Till now no death records of the Ibises due to collision with transmission lines have been reported, but mortality was observed in many bird species like Sarus Crane and Flamingos due to their collision with transmission lines, so can be considered a major threat (Sundar & Choudhury 2005;Tere & Parasharya 2011;Rameshchandra 2014;Gosai et al 2016;Kumar & Rana 2021). Koli et al (2013) noticed predation of eggs and chicks of Black-headed Ibis by House crow and Eagle in Rajasthan, but during this present study, no such observations were made.…”