Abstract
In autumn and winter, 24 migratory waterfowl species from the north utilise the wetlands of Chitwan National Park, which provide vital staging, roosting, resting, foraging and breeding places. The birds stay for about eight months before returning north in March and April. These birds are indicators of healthy wetlands, and they distribute nutrients through their droppings that increase primary production of aquatic vegetation and fish. A population census of wetland birds was conducted during January 2014 in Chitwan National Park on the Rapti and Narayani rivers and associated wetlands, including Lami Tal, Tamor Tal, Garud Tal, Devi Tal and marshes and lakes around Temple Tiger. The study found that the Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea was the migratory waterfowl with the largest population in these rivers.
Highlights
Wetlands are productive ecosystems that are ideal for migratory waterfowl and other vertebrate fauna (Acharya 2002; WBC 2006)
Eight-hundred-and-eighty-four (884) bird species have been recorded in Nepal, of which 39 are globally threatened (Grimmett et al 2016), and 625 bird species have been recorded in Chitwan District, of which 24 are globally threatened (BES 2013) and 120 are wetland-dependent
Chitwan National Park and buffer zones have been identified as an “Important Bird Area” owing to species richness and the high diversity of bird habitats (BCN and DNPWC in prep.)
Summary
Wetlands are productive ecosystems that are ideal for migratory waterfowl and other vertebrate fauna (Acharya 2002; WBC 2006). Wetland birds in Rapti and Narayani rivers The riverine flood plains of the Narayani, Rapti and Reu with oxbow lakes, marshes, and swamps provide suitable habitat conditions for wetland-dependent birds.
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