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.