Avifaunal Diversity in Jammu and Kashmir State

Abstract

This chapter puts together a complete checklist of the birds found within the geographical limits of the Jammu and Kashmir State. Geographically, the State represents heterogeneous landscape with a varied altitudinal range, characterized by enormous diversity in habitats and climatic regimes. The three distinct biotic provinces comprising the State, including the subtropical plains of Jammu, the temperate valley of Kashmir and the Trans-Himalayan cold desert of Ladakh, together represent a species-rich region which is home to 555 species of birds. Overall 20 orders of avian taxa represented by 76 families have been reported from the State; these includes 32 species classified as ‘threatened’ under various categories in the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). This chapter also tabularizes the distribution (presence or absence) of all the bird species in the Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh regions and presents their status (Resident/Passage Migrant/Summer Visitor/Winter Visitor) in these regions.