A Comprehensive Study on the Diversity and Status of Avifauna in East Singhbhum, Jharkhand, India

Survey on avian diversity at Keshopur wetland, district Gurdaspur, Punjab, India revealed the presence of 121 species of birds belonging to 19 orders and 47 families. The maximum number (38) of species in the area belonged to order Passeriformes. 27 winter migratory, 3 summer migratory and 91 resident species of birds were observed. One vulnerable (Aythya ferina) and six near threatened species were observed (Aythya nyroca, Anhinga melanogaster, Mycteria leucocephala, Sterna aurantia, Psittacula eupatria, Threskiornis melanocephalus) as per IUCN red list. A particular pattern of arrival and departure of migratory birds was observed. The winter migrants started to appear in October when the temperature started decreasing. The abundance of birds varied significantly during different seasons. Major variation was found in abundance of few species at three different sites of the same wetland. This study revealed that Keshopur Chhamb Community Reserve acts as a refuge site for many waterbirds including wader, waterfowl and many migratory and threatened species.

Avian species diversity and their assemblage are responsible for maintaining the integrity and health of any ecosystem. Documentation of avian diversity in different habitats is sensitive tool for monitoring the environmental condition. The present investigation aimed to record the diversity of avian fauna at the main campus and agricultural landscapes of Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana agricultural University, Hisar (Haryana). Line transect and point count methods were used to taking observations on different species of birds. A total of 101 bird species under 17 orders 43 families and 86 genera were recorded; out of them, 78, 17, 5 and one species were resident, winter migrant, summer migrant and passage migrant, respectively. Species richness of order Passeriformes was highest, followed by Pelecaniformes and Muscicapidae, the most diverse family in the study area. Analysis of food and feeding guilds revealed that the insectivorous guild is predominant, followed by Omnivore, Carnivore, Granivore, Frugivore and Nectarivore. Out of the total observed species, 23 have declining population trends at global level, whereas three species (Alexandrine Parakeet, Asian Woollyneck, Black-headed ibis) are listed as Near Threatened and Common Pochard is vulnerable as per IUCN Red List. The species richness was significantly higher in farmland, followed by main campus and experimental orchards. Jaccard’s similarity index between habitats revealed that the main campus and farmland area has a maximum (0.73) similarity in bird communities. This emphasises the significance of these study sites as key habitats for bird species of conservation priorities.

One year survey conducted in and around Bhindawas bird sanctuary in district Jhajjar, Haryana (India) from January, 2015 to December, 2015; revealed a total of 104 bird species belonging to 15 orders and 39 families. Of these, 67 bird species were resident, 32 species were winter migrants and only 5 species were summer migrants. Based on their frequency of sighting, 33 bird species were categorized as Abundant, 27 species as Common, 32 species as Uncommon and 12 species as Rare. Maximum number of species belonged to order Passeriformes and least number of species belonged to order Podicipediformes and Strigiformes. Among the recorded birds, 4 species namely, Darter, Anhinga melanogaster; Black-necked Stork, Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus; Oriental White Ibis, Threskiornis melanocephalus; and Alexandrine Parakeet, Psittacula eupatria were near threatened and 2 species namely, Common, Pochard, Aythya ferina and Sarus Crane, Grus antigone were vulnerable. In early 1990s, a study was conducted on Bhindawas bird sanctuary and thereafter, a great deal of infrastructure, development and urbani-zation has occurred. However, scanty information is available on the avian diversity periodic monitoring of Bhinda-was bird sanctuary, Haryana. Therefore, present study was planned to monitor and document the avian species.

The heterogeneity in response to the H5N1 infection of three different species of waterfowl (Mute Swan, Common Pochard, Mallard), which were affected during the 2006 outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in France, was suggested as the underlying reason for the small size of the outbreak. Through stochastic simulations of compartmental epidemiologic models that take into account both the individual behaviour of each of the three bird species and the interactions between them, the effect of host heterogeneity on the characteristics of the outbreak was analysed. Species diversity was found to induce either a decrease or an increase of the outbreak severity, depending on the mixing rates between the species and on the species to which the initially infected individual belonged to. It is found that an initially infected Mute Swan could generate major outbreaks, whereas Common Pochards and Mallards induce outbreaks of rather moderate sizes.

A study on status and diversity of birds of Ramna Park, Dhaka, Bangladesh was conducted from July 2013 to March 2014. Data were collected through direct field observations where 6 days had been spent in every month in the field. A total of 50 species of birds belonging to 11 orders and 28 families were observed. Of the 50 species, 84% were residents and 16% migrants, 50% were passerines, 50% non-passerines. Passeriformes presented the highest number (25 species) of observed birds. Only Clamator jacobinus was recorded as summer migrant among the migratory birds. We found Psittacula eupatria considered as Near Threatened globally according to IUCN. Corvus splendens was the most common with the highest number of individuals in comparison to other bird species. We observed single individual of Clamator jacobinus followed by Psittacula eupatria and Apus pacificus throughout the study. Regarding the relative abundance, 18% species were very common, 30% common, 16% fairly common and 36% few. Calculating the Shannon-Wiener and Simpson’s indices of diversity and species evenness, we found maximum number of species and individuals in the month of December while minimum in the month of July. Anthropogenic activities such as festivals, random assemblies and gatherings, dumping of plastics, polythene and papers, noise from the vehicles were common inside and around the park, which may be threats to birds.Bangladesh J. Zool. 43(2): 291-301, 2015

This study was conducted in Dinder National Park (Sudan). Patterns of bird species diversity, richness, and abundance were documented in four wetland areas inside Dinder National Park, including Ras Amir, Grerisa, Abdel Ghani, and Dabkara Mayas (meadows) during the dry seasons starting 2014 through 2016, and, diversity over this period was badly eroded and under serious threats. Timed-species count (TSC) technique was used for counting birds. Rarefaction curves combined with nonparametric estimators of species richness were used to extrapolate species richness beyond the collected data. The Shannon (H') diversity index and the Simpson (D) index and the evenness index of Pielou (J') were used to assess alpha diversity and diversity within and between sites, respectively. Finally, chi-square goodness of fit test was used to test the H0 that bird species frequencies at each site were equally proportional and their mean numbers across the four sites were not significantly different. Sampling efforts of over 90% was attained in each of the four study sites. A total of 203 bird species about 145 (71%) of which were wetland birds, all belonging to 33 families and 11 orders, were identified from a set of 3753 individuals. The mean number of wetland birds was generally low at all the Mayas except at Ras Amir Maya where some species had relatively higher mean number. The orders Anseriformes (especially Anatidae), Charadriiformes (especially Jacanidae and Charadriidae), Ciconiiformes (especially Ardeidae, Threskiornithidae, and Ciconiidae), Coraciiformes (especially Alcedinidae), Passeriformes (especially Motacillidae and Ploceidae), and Pelecaniformes (especially Phalacrocoracidae) were the most important, in terms of both abundance and species richness. Diversity indices ranged, in descending order, from Grerisa Maya, Ras Amir Maya, Abd el Ghani Maya to Dabkara Maya. There was no clear trend in terms of bird numbers and abundance between sites, though water-rich Mayas seemed to support more birds than the drier ones. Likewise, certain species were found only in some Mayas but not in others such as African jacana (Actophilornis africanus), African darter (Anhinga rufa), long-tailed cormorant (Phalacrocorax africanus), and allies. This study presents baseline data and contributes in important ways to basic knowledge of wetland biodiversity patterns within Dinder National Park which must be protected because they constitute core areas of great conservation importance.

A study was carried out to assess the food composition of migratory waterfowl in Bet Makwal Kalan, near the Head Taunsa Barrage, along the River Indus passage. Migratory water birds are thought to be important components in dispersal of total living entity especially seeds due to their proclivity for extensive relocations. They might be found in large numbers in the muddy sections. Migratory water birds are important components of total plant dispersal due to their proclivity for making extensive migrations. A sum of 459 gizzard samples was collected, during their Fall migration, relating to 10 Waterfowl species i.e. Northern Pintail (n=56), Eurasian Wigeon (n=17), Garganay (n=07), Mallard (n=02), Northern Shoveler (n=22), Common Teal (n=129), Gadwall (n=158), Tufted Duck (n=04), Common Pochard (n=29) and Ferruginous Duck (n=34). During their winter migration, the Waterfowl species picked plants over animals as their primary source of sustenance when travelling through Taunsa. Food research revealed that all 10 species of birds consumed large amounts of seeds. Out of ten duck species, two plant species (Naias marina and Potamogeton pusillus) consistently ranked among the top seeds ingested by six of the duck species (Eurasian Wigeon, Garganey, Mallard, Gadwall, Tufted Duck, and Common Pochard). Whereas the Northern Pintail, Northern Shoveler, Common Teal, and Ferruginous Duck have been found to consume large amounts of seeds from Potamogeton pectinatus and Poligonum spp. It was determined that molluscans and crustaceans residues were found to be well-represented in the gizzard samples of ducks. The recent study also highlighted that various vegetations play vital role in wetland ecosystems as a basic wild food provider. A larger population of migrating Waterfowl yield better findings for this study, which is currently being undertaken.

Iraq and Syria are among the countries that are frequented by wild birds in great numbers and species due to the abundance of water, green spaces, moderate climate in winter and the lack of predators. The two countries fall under the migration line of birds that stretches between East Asia and East Africa. The results of the survey, which were conducted nearly twenty years ago, indicated that there are at least 400 species of migratory birds coming to Iraq and Syria (The majority are from the Accipitres (Accipitridae) and passerines (Passeriformes)). In Iraq, the marshes (Al-Ahwar) are inhabited by species of birds that are rare in other parts of the world like the Iraq Babbler (Turdoides squamiceps) and the rocking reed of Basra (Acrocephalus griseldis). The rare endangered Namaqua Dove (Oena Capensis) was seen in the Syrian Badia. Recently, the status of the deputed birds has decreased in terms of numbers and species due to a set of reasons, the most important of which is the phenomenon of over-hunting, which has negatively affected the numbers of birds, especially birds that are threatened with extinction and included in the red list such as the Ferruginous duck (Aythya nyroca) and the Eurasian teal (Anas Crecca). The demographic fluctuation and war conditions have led to the reluctance of some species to come to Iraq and Syria and change the course of their migration to other places. The emergence of some non-traditional methods of hunting by bird hunters, such as the establishment of artificial waterbodies to attract waterfowl, led to an unprecedented decline in the numbers of these birds. The lack of legal oversight, lack of accountability, and the tendency of bird hunters to hunt in uncontrolled areas increased the great damage to wild birds in particular and to wildlife in general.

A total of 139 species of birds belonging to 45 families were recorded in the study area from September 2011 to July 2012. 67 species of these were residents, 28 were residents and local migrants, 22 were residents and winter migrants, 17 were winter migrants and 5 species were winter migrants as well as passage migrants. The order Passeriformes was highest in dominance followed by Charadriiformes, Ciconiiformes, Coraciiformes and Anseriformes. Among the bird species recorded the Darter ( Anhinga melanogaster ) , Painted Stork ( Mycteria leucocephala ), Oriental White Ibis ( Threskiornis melanocephalus ), Lesser Flamingo ( Phoenicopterus minor ) , Black-tailed Godwit ( Limosa limosa ), Eurasian Curlew ( Numenius arquata ), Black-bellied Tern ( Sterna acuticauda ) and European Roller ( Coracias garrulous ) are Near Threatened species (IUCN 2011).

Infections caused by the avian influenza virus have been known for a long time and they are present, to a smaller or greater extent, in both extensive and intensive poultry production in many parts of the world. Epidemiological investigations have established a definite significance of the population of wild birds in maintaining and spreading this infection. Avian influenza is a zoonosis, and the virus has a great potential for causing mortality in humans, in particular its subtypes H5 and H7, which is why it has lately been provoking much attention among scientists and experts, as well as the general public. The objective of the work was to catch a certain number of wild birds in several locations in the Republic of Serbia, to identify them, and to collect samples of their blood serum for the determination of specific antibodies against the avian influenza virus. Birds were caught in ten locations in a manner that was safe for the birds themselves, as well as for the staff that did the catching. The birds were caught in especially produced nets, and in some cases in special traps. The caught wild birds were identified using the methods described in reference literature. All the names of the wild birds were coordinated with the valid Serbian nomenclature of European birds, prepared by prominent ornithologist and bird lover Milan Ružić. Following catching and identification, blood samples were taken from the birds from the wing vein (in bigger birds) or from the leg vein (in smaller birds). In taking blood samples from wild birds, all the principles of asepsis and antisepsis were followed in order to prevent any possibility of infection. After that, the birds were returned to their natural habitat, to the same locations in which they were caught. Serums were isolated from the taken blood samples and they were stored at -20oC until the final examinations. A total of 46 species of wild birds were identified among a total of 259 birds from which 259 samples of blood serum were isolated. The following were used for the detection of the presence of specific antibodies against the avian influenza virus in blood serum samples of wild birds: agar gel precipitation (AGP), the hemagglutination inhibition test (HI) for subtypes H5 and H7, the cELISA test with antigen for the A type avian infleunza virus, and the cELISA test with antigen for subtype H5 of the avian influenza virus. Due to the fact that about 360 different species of wild birds live in the Republic of Serbia, the number of 46 identified species covered by these investigations account for 12.77% of the total number of bird species present in Serbia, which is considered a good sample. Specific antibodies against the A type avian influenza virus were established in serum samples of only 9 of the 259 birds covered by examinations using the cELISA test. Of the 46 identified wild bird species, 6 belonged to birds that live exclusively in water habitats and are considered a reservoir of the avian influenza virus (white stork, mallard, mute swan, common pochard, common goldeneye, and Eurasian coot). Among the listed species, particular attention was drawn to 4 species of wild birds of the order Anseriformes and the family Anatidae (mallard, mute swan, common pochard, common goldeneye) of which there were 30 birds among the total of 259 examined. In the 30 blood serum samples of the listed bird species, specific antibodies against the A type avian influenza virus were established in 9 (30%) serum samples using cELISA. Specific antibodies against the avian influenza virus subtype H5 were established in 3 serum samples of mute swans (one serum sample originated from a mute swan which was tagged in Poland) and in one blood serum sample of a common pochard, or a total of 4 (13.33%) serum samples, using the hemagglutination inhibition test. Specific antibodies against the avian inluenza virus subtype H7 were established in 3 (10%) blood serum samples, in two serum samples from mallards and one sample from a mute swan, using the hemagglutination inhibition test. Specific antibodies against the avian influenza virus type A were not established in any examined bird species using the AGP test. In the population of wild bird species in the Republic of Serbia covered by these investigations, specific antibodies against the avian influenza virus were established only in serum samples of birds of the family Anatidae. Specific antibodies against the avian influenza virus type A established in 3 (6.52%) species of wild birds, and against subtypes H5 and H7 in 2 (4.34%) of the total of 46 examined species. The sensitivity of the cELISA test for the avian influenza virus subtype H5 and the hemagglutination inhibition test for subtype H5 amounted to 100%.

Birds play various crucial roles in the ecosystem including pollination, seed dispersal, and pest control. Assemblages of bird species in a particular landscape are useful predictors in various ecosystem services, this is evident from studies of forest bird assemblages, aquatic bodies and agro ecosystems. For developing conservation strategies, information on bird species assemblages in a particular geographical area is important. Diversity in aquatic ecosystem support a diversity of water bird species. In the present study, around 45 bird species were recorded in 21 aquatic bodies in Bankura, West Bengal, India, in which two species, namely, Leptoptilos javanicus and Aythya ferina declared ‘Vulnerable’ and three species such as Mareca falcata, Threskiornis melanocephalus, and Limosa limosa considered as ‘Near Threatened’ according to the IUCN Red list. Dendrocygna javanica and Nettapus coromandelianus were found to be the most abundant. In those 21 study areas, site6 has the highest species richness and site2 has the lowest. The dominance index was highest for site2 and lowest for site6. Pielou’s index of evenness was highest for site20. The rarefaction curve showed species abundance was highest for site1. Classical cluster analysis for species abundance showsthat site20, site21, site3, site8, site4, site19, site5, site14, site12, site15, site7, site 10 site11, and site13 are closely related. This paper is aimed to generate interest among people to conserve aquatic birds and their habitats and to document baseline information for further study.

Kaithal District is comprised of 2317 Km² Sq. Km area having six blocks Viz.:Kaithal, Kalayat, Pundri, Rajound, Ghula and Siwan located at a distance of 150 Kms from New Delhi toward North West. Its geographical position lies between 29° 48' 0 N latitude and between 76° 22' 60 E longitude.The present studies were carried between 2005-2008 with the help of Zenith Camera and telelens. In all, 63 species of Wetland birds belonging to 10 Orders, 38 genera and 16 families were observed in various village ponds in Kaithal District. Out of 63 species of wetland birds, 31 are winter migratory, 9 local migratory, 3 summers migratory and 20 species are resident birds. Considering IUCN categories, Black Ibis (Pseudibis papillosa) which belongs to Biome Restricted Species (BRS) was observed in three blocks viz. Kaithal, Pundri and Rajound of Kaithal district. In addition, Spotted Greenshank (Tringa guttifer) which has been placed in endangered category of IUCN was observed as single individual. But Black Ibis (Pseudibis papillosa) was observed in a group of three to seven. Northern Shoveller (Anas clypeata), which is reportedly coming from Central Russia and Caspian Siberia has been observed in very large groups of 200-250 and virtually spotted in each and every pond in Northern Haryana. Similarly, Northern Pintail (Anas acuta), Common Teal (Anas crecca), Common Pochard (Aythya ferina), Spot-billed Duck (Anas poecilorhyncha), Lesser-whistling Teal (Dendrocygna javanica) were also seen in relatively large groups. Common Pochard (Aythya ferina) is always observed in pure groups floating in the centre of relatively big ponds. In contrast, Gadwall (Anas strepera), Northern Shoveller (Anas clypeata), Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) and Common Teal (Anas crecca), share close proximity with each other in water and are found in mixed groups. Northern Shoveller (Anas clypeata), Bar- headed Goose (Anser indicus) and Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) stay between Octobers to April. Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) stays in winter for shortest period between December and January. Maximum wetland birds observed in Kaithal District belong to Order Charadriiformes and to family Anatidae of Order Anseriformes. Spotted Greenshank (Tringa guttifer) is the peculiar to Pundri block only, in Kaithal District.

Ten-year survey of breeding Anatidae of Lake Sidi Boughaba (North-western Marocco) : status, tendencies of change and avenues for future research. A ten years survey of duck species was carried out in the Ramsar site and Important Bird Area (IBA) of Sidi Boughaba. No such survey has ever been conducted before in Morocco to study the change in number of breeding duck species in the country. Overall results have shown the appearance of new breeding species in the site : Red-crested Pochard (Netta rufina), Common Pochard (Aythya ferina) and White-Headed Duck (Oxyura leucocephala). Other species have become more regular like Gadwall (Anas strepera) and Ferruginous Duck (Aythya nyroca) while the vulnerable Marbled Teal (Marmaronetta angustirostris) and the Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) continue to breed in this wetland with numbers that remain stable though the numbers of females with ducklings are decreasing in these two species. The number of breeding ducks species in this wetland is the highest in Morocco and in the Maghreb. The overall results showed that the numbers of Gadwall, Red-crested Pochard, Common Pochard and Ferruginous Duck are markedly increasing following the same expansion patterns at both regional and Mediterranean levels. The initiation of similar researches on other wetlands is essential to assess the abundance of duck populations and indicate trends of this breeding waterfowl group at larger scales.

Birds are important components of biodiversity and acts as an indicator of habitat quality, productivity and stability. This study aimed to document species richness and assess the temporal distribution pattern of globally threatened bird species in the Basanta Protected Forest (BPF), one of the largest corridor forests which connects Dudhwa National Park (India) with protected areas of western lowland Nepal. During study period of ten years from 2010 to 2019, a total of 381 bird species from 78 families of 19 orders were recorded. Order Passeriformes had the highest species richness (n=180) followed by order Accipitriformes and Charadriiformes. Among the families, the family Muscicapidae had the highest species richness (n=31), followed by Accipitridae and Anatidae. Majority of bird recorded were forest bird followed by wetland and farmland bird species. Fifteen globally threatened species like red-headed vulture (Sarcogyps calvus), white-rumped vulture (Gyps bengalensis), slender-billed vulture (Gyps tenuirostris), steppe eagle (Aquila nipalensis) and Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus) were recorded in the BPF. Extensive avian survey in the BPF is important for further exploration of avian community along with its driving factors, which might play a crucial role in developing baseline information and implementing conservation implications.

Abstract. Shah SB, Sharma HP. 2022. Bird diversity and factors affecting bird abundance at Dullu Municipality, Dailekh, Nepal. Biodiversitas 23: 1535-1545. Bird distribution, diversity, and abundance in any ecosystem are determined by seasonality, disturbances, and availability of resources. The point count method was used for bird surveys during the winter and summer season to identify the bird diversity and factors affecting bird abundance in 2020 at Dailekh District, Nepal. Altogether 98 bird species belonging to 11 orders and 38 families were recorded. The highest species richness was found for order Passeriformes and Muscicapidae family. Among recorded species, the higher species richness of birds was found during winter than summer season, and 52 bird species were observed at both seasons. These birds were more evenly distributed in summer than in the winter season. Among 98 species, the higher bird species were resident (91%), followed by winter migrants (7%), and remaining 2% of birds were summer and passage migrants. Himalayan Vulture (Gyps himalayensis Hume, 1869) and Alexandrine Parakeet (Palaeornis eupatria Linnaeus, 1766) were near threatened species found in the study area. Forest habitats had more diverse bird species than agricultural land. Different environmental parameters such as nearest distance to the water source, canopy cover, and nearest distance to forest habitat significantly affected bird occurrences. The species richness was positively correlated with the nearest distance to agricultural land for both seasons; however, it decreased with increasing distance to water source and canopy cover. In the study area, migratory, residential, endemic, and threatened bird species indicated the uniqueness of the bird habitat in the area; therefore, a site-specific management plan is necessary to conserve these bird species.