Documentation of Avian Species Composition and Assemblage in Agricultural Landscapes of Karnal, Haryana

Abstract

Avian communities maintain ecological balance by  eliminating pests, providing ecosystem services, and  acting as biological indicators, thereby playing a pivotal  role in conserving agricultural landscapes’ integrity and  stability; thus from an environmental monitoring  standpoint, assessment of bird aggregations in various  landscapes is necessary. A three-year (2021, 2022 and  2023) bird survey was conducted to document the  checklist, density, and diversity of bird species  assemblage of agricultural landscapes in the Karnal  district of Haryana, India, to obtain the richness of birds  in different agricultural habitats. A total of 79 bird  species from 36 families and 14 orders were recorded;  two bird species (Alexandrine Parakeet and Black Headed Ibis) are listed as Near Threatened in the ‘IUCN’  (2010) category. Seventeen avian species with global  declining population trends are present in the study  area. The Passeriformes order, with 44 species, is the  most diverse in the study area. In all habitats, analysis of  food and feeding guilds, as well as perching activity,  revealed that the insectivorous guild (29) is dominant,  followed by Omnivore (25), Carnivore (11), Granivore  (7), Frugivore (5), and Nectarivore (2). The results of this  study indicate that, in order to enhance the quality of  bird habitat in agricultural landscapes, biodiversity friendly farming practices should be adopted.