Abstract
Abstract The present study attempts to assess the composition, abundance and diversity of avifauna with respect to their habitat in and around the Purbasthali wetland, based on both primary data collected through the point count method during 2017–2019 and literature data. Among the total 77 species (encompassing 10 orders and 19 families), 39 species are migrants, 18 are rare and 24 species show declining global trend. According to their habitat, they are sub-divided into three categories i.e. waterfowls (live in open water, 20 species), waders (live in bank areas/water edge area, 45 species) and wetland associated (live in nearby trees, 12 species). The Shannon-Wiener Diversity Index (H’) and the Evenness Index (E’) are used to examine the diversity within and between the habitats. The result reveals higher diversity and evenness of the waders in comparison to others. The maximum diversity (H′=3.02) and evenness (E′=0.79) has been recorded for the waders in 2019, whereas the least values (H′=1.02, E′=0.34) have been found in 2016 for the waterfowls. Relative Diversity Index affirms the dominance of the Anatidae family. The birds of the area have now been seriously threatened by human intervention.
Highlights
Wetlands are considered as home of unique and diverse species of plants and animals especially the water birds (Garg 2015)
All species in the first two groups depend on the wetland, live in wetlands or its banks/ water edge for nesting, breeding, feeding and roosting, whereas the last category live in the nearby trees and scrubs
The value of ecosystem services extended by the Purbasthali wetland is immense in nearby rural life and livelihood, its role as a habitat of birds is great, rather more imperative
Summary
Wetlands are considered as home of unique and diverse species of plants and animals especially the water birds (Garg 2015). Wetland birds play crucial roles in sustaining the natural balance of the aquatic ecosystem (Clout & Hay 1989), possess different trophic levels of a food chain and help supply of energy and maintain species diversity in an ecosystem (Hadley et al 2012), carry out the role of predators, pollinators, herbivores, pest controller, agents of seed dispersal, and vectors of invertebrates and nutrients (Bibi & Ali 2013) They are considered as very sensitive to any sort of alterations in the environment (Koli 2014) and they are often rationally called as effective bio-indicators of the wetland ecosystem (Li et al 2009)
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