Journal of Threatened
Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 February 2023 | 15(2): 22597–22605
ISSN 0974-7907
(Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print)
https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.7103.15.2.22597-22605
#7103 | Received 21
January 2021 | Final received 07 September 2022 | Finally accepted 29 January
2023
Seasonal diversity and dietary
guild structure of birds in two Vindhyan gorge
forests of Rajasthan, India
Ashvini Kumar Joshi
Wildlife and Conservation
Research Laboratory, Department of Zoology, M.L.V. Government College, Bhilwara, Rajasthan 311001, India.
Abstract: Habitat is the key factor of
biodiversity conservation. In Vindhyan mountain range
of India, there are many perennial and seasonal rivers which create deep gorges
in their course of flow. Two Vindhyan gorges—Tahla and Chainpuriya—were
studied to know their potential as bird habitat from July 2016 to June 2018
using line transect method during three season survey basis. The Tahla gorge had 74 bird species of 35 families (67 resident
and 7 migratory). The Chainpuriya gorge had
60 bird species belonged to 31 families (53 resident and 7 migratory). Highest
bird diversity (HT = 3.55, HCh
= 3.29) and richness (dT = 9.63,dCh = 8.28) was
found in summer and the least diversity (HT = 3.40, HCh = 3.19) and richness (dT
= 7.95, dCh = 7.49) was
found in monsoon. Birds of family Muscicapidae had
highest relative diversity (T = 9.45, Ch = 13.33) in both the gorges.
Insectivorous guild was most abundant followed by omnivorous, carnivorous,
granivorous, frugivorous, and nectarivorous guilds.
Wide range of habitats, variety of food, life resources, and undisturbed
self-sustained ecosystem were important key factors for the rich diversity of
birds in the gorges.
Keywords: Avifauna, Chainpuriya,
gorge biodiversity, habitat, migratory birds, mountain range, northwestern
India, Tahla.
Editor: Anonymity
requested. Date of
publication: 26 February 2023 (online & print)
Citation: Joshi, A.K. (2023). Seasonal diversity and
dietary guild structure of birds in two Vindhyan
gorge forests of Rajasthan, India. Journal of
Threatened Taxa 15(2): 22597–22605. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.7103.15.2.22597-22605
Copyright: © Joshi 2023. Creative Commons Attribution
4.0 International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproduction, and
distribution of this article in any medium by providing adequate credit to the
author(s) and the source of publication.
Funding: University Grant Commission
New Delhi.
Competing interests: The author
declares no competing interests.
Author details: Ashvini Kumar
Joshi PhD, assistant professor (Zoology)
in M.L.V.Government College Bhilwara
(Rajasthan). Active researcher in gorge
biodiversity, wildlife biology, ecology and limnology.
Acknowledgements: Author expresses his gratitude
to Dr Chhaya Bhatnagar, assistant professor, MLS
University, Udaipur for guidance and University Grant Commission, New Delhi for
financial assistance for the research work.
Introduction
Rising anthropogenic activities
worldwide lead to destruction and fragmentation of habitats, which are the
serious threats to the bird community (Baral & Inskipp 2005; Gautam & Kafle
2007). But, there are a few habitats on Earth which naturally protects biodiversity
in spite of all the threats. Gorges and canyons are among these places. Gorges
and canyons are deep, narrow valleys, result of continuous land erosion by the
water streams (Singh 2015). The deepness of gorges keep them isolated from the
rest of the world and the self-sustained ecosystem supports a variety of life
forms in them. These have diverse micro ecosystems due to variation in
humidity, sunlight, temperature, and other abiotic factors (Mowbray & Henry
1968; Grant 2005). Along with the diverse ecosystem, undisturbed ecology, least
human interference, favorable climatic conditions with sufficiency of life
resources are some peculiar features of gorge habitat which make them ‘nature
conserved gene reservoirs’.
Rajasthan is the northwestern
state of India where in Vindhyan range is one of the
important mountain range with Aravalli. It spreads from Dholpur
district in east to Chittorgarh districts in southern Rajasthan. A number of
rivers have their origin from Vindhyas among which Berach, Kali Sindh, Chambal, Menali,
Parwan are some representative rivers. These rivers
cut the soft rocks of limestone and sandstone in their path to make deep gorges
which are the characteristic of the Vindhyas.
Birds are important indicators of
environmental health as they quickly respond to habitat change and disturbance
(Mekonen 2017). So the status of bird community of a
place is a glimpse of habitat sustainability. Diversity of birds of the gorges
and canyons have been studied worldwide (Parnell & Quay 1964; Taylor 1989;
Hornsby 1997; Nikolov & Spasov
2005; Patten et al. 2006; Spence et al. 2011; Malan & Lerm
2013; Kopij 2013), but neglected in India (Sharma
& Singh 2006; Joshi & Bhatnagar 2016). So the present study is an
effort to enlighten the bird diversity of two potential but lesser known Vindhyan gorges, which are not studied earlier.
Study Area
The study was conducted in two Vindhyan gorges, i.e., Tahla and Chainpuriya
located in the district of Bhilwara, Rajasthan
(Figure 1). The details of the gorges are as follows:.
1. Tahla: The gorge of Tahla (25.66-0N & 75.410E) is
located 70 km away from the district headquarter and situated outside of
village Tahla. The length of the gorge is 650 m. It
is an open type of gorge with high east-facing cliffs (Image 1). The gorge has
plenty of water in monsoon, but no surface water available in other seasons.
Although, the presence of riparian vegetation indicates high ground water
availability throughout the year.
2. Chainpuriya:
The gorge of Chainpuriya (25.030N &
76.460E) is located 62 km from Bhilwara
district headquarter and 1.5 km away the gorge of Tahla.
It is 760 m long and comparatively narrow than the Tahla
gorge (Image 2). The plateau on the terrace of the gorge is suffered from
denudation. During monsoon, water collects from the highland and flows as a
stream in the gorge, but does not accumulate due to lack of any pit or pond in
it. High cliffs are totally wanting.
The study areas had a mixed type
of vegetation including grasses, herbs, shrubs, and trees. The climate of the
area was semi-dry type and the vegetation was dry mixed deciduous type having Dhauk Anogeissus
pendula, Dhhak Butea monosperma,
Gurjan Lannea coromandelica, Salar Boswellia serrata,
Safed Dhauk Anogeissus
latifolia, and Tendu Diospyros
melanoxylon as principal vegetation. Riparian
vegetation was also present in the bottom of the gorges near stream of water
and the important were Arjuna Terminalia arjuna, Kadamb
Mitragyna parvifolia,
Baheda Terminalia bellirica,
Makhania Jamun Syzygium
heyneanum, Umara Ficus
glomerata, Karmala Mallotus philippensis,
and Khajoor Phoenix sylvestris.
Material
and methods
The study was
conducted from July 2016 to June 2018. Three season survey (summer, winter, and
monsoon) were designed for the study. Early morning visits from 0600 h to 0800
h in the summer and monsoon and 0700 h to 0900 h in winter were done. Days of
rain and strong wind were avoided during monsoon. Line transect method (Bibby
et al. 1998) was followed in which random transects of different length were
laid on the roof and at bottom of the gorge in such a way that maximum
microhabitat could be covered. Length of the transects was 520 m (roof) and 650
m (bottom) in Tahla gorge, while 470 m, 950 m (roof)
and 760 m (bottom) was in Chainpuriya gorge. Birds
were photographed in the field and identified using field guides (Ali &
Ripley 2007; Grimmett et al. 2011) and listed
according Grimmett et al. (2011).
The residential status of the
birds was categorized as ‘winter migratory’, ‘summer migratory’, and
‘resident’. Birds were also categorized according to the guild as carnivorous,
insectivorous, frugivorous, granivorous, omnivorous, and nectarivorous
on the basis of Ali & Ripley (2007) and field observations. Occurrence of
the bird in a habitat was classified into two classes. Birds which were found
in the bottom or at the wall of the gorge were classified as ‘In Gorge’ (IG)
and the birds which were observed on the terrace or the flat terrain
immediately outside the gorge were classified as birds of ‘Roof or the terrace
of the gorge’ (RG). During field visits the birds that were found to spend more
time in the part of the gorge other than terrace, were determined as the birds
of gorges in true sense. The local status of birds was measured on the basis of
field observations. The bird which was seen many times during a visit was
categorized as ‘Very Common’ (VC). The birds which were sited fewer times
during the same visit were categorized as ‘Common’ (C) and the birds recorded
only one or two times in all the field visits were kept in ‘Occasional’ (O)
category. The relative diversity index (RDi) of bird
families was calculated (Torre-Cuadros et al. 2007)
using the following formula:
Number of bird species in a family
Rdi = –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Total
number of species
Sorenson’s index (Cs) was
measured to know the similarity of bird community between both gorge habitats.
This index is based on the presence-absence data of bird species. Value of the
index ranges between 0 and 1. Where 0 reflects total dissimilarity and 1
reflects complete similarity. Seasonal data were pooled to understand the
seasonal variation in bird assemblage. Further, we also calculated diversity
indices Shanon-Wiener’s diversity index (H), species
evenness, and Margalef’s richness index (d) using
PAST 4.0 software. Threats to the habitat and biodiversity were also identified
during the entire period of study and mitigation measures were suggested.
Results
and Discussion
A total of 74 bird species of 35
families were recorded in Tahla gorge among which 67
species were resident, four species were winter migratory and three species
were summer migratory. Gorge of Chainpuriya had 60
bird species of 31 families out of which 53 were resident, five species were
winter migratory and two species were summer migratory (Table 1). Seven bird
species in Tahla gorge and 20 species in Chainpuriya gorge were recorded during previous study
(Sharma & Singh 2006). There was a big difference in bird species number
between two studies likely due to difference in study period and methodology.
Both
the gorges were located only at a distance of 1.5 km but the bird species
diversity (H = 3.46) and richness (d = 9.36) was higher in Tahla
gorge than the bird species diversity (H = 3.29) and richness (d = 8.29) in Chainpuriya gorge (Table 4). More diverse habitats in Tahla gorge including high cliffs, variety of vegetations,
accessibility of water, food and other life needs might liable for this high diversity,
as species richness in a community increases as environmental heterogeneity
increases on a variety of parameters and scales (Gould 2000). This
heterogeneity might offer different choices for birds in terms of food and
shelter and they prefer the habitat to live. However, water was a limiting
factor for the birds in Tahla gorge as there was no
perennial source of water or stream available in the gorge besides the
rainfall. Some water used to store in the check dam but it was found that it
dried up soon after monsoon. There were some locations in the gorge from where
underground water bubbled out and deposits in a small pit. This very small
quantity of water was available for birds in the hot summer. The less diversity
of birds observed in the gorge of Chainpuriya might
be due to the lack of any perennial source of water, no water storage
structures, absence of high cliffs, denuded terrace of the gorge with less
diverse and less dense vegetation, absence of grassland habitat, and the
man-made green area to the opposite side of the village. The village had
man-made agriculture land with plantation on the opposite side of the gorge as
shelter for birds. Deficiency of water and other resources made the birds to
move from the gorge to this agriculture land. No water birds were reported
during the study period from the gorge as there was no water storage structure
found. Lack of high cliffs had made the gorge a non-favourite
habitat for cliff-lover birds. Vegetation characteristics were also not
lucrative for the frugivorous birds. All
these factors may be collectively responsible for less diverse bird community
observed in the gorge of Chainpuriya.
Sorenson’s Coefficient (Cs)
showed a high similarity and less Beta diversity of birds between both the
habitats (Cs = 0.782). These two gorges are located at a small distance of 1.5
km and the habitats resemble over several parameters such as forest cover, type
of vegetation, rock bed, bed pool and many other ecological factors. The small
distance and habitat resemblance between gorges bring this overlapping of bird
communities result in low beta diversity.
Analysis of data on relative
diversity revealed that Muscicapidae (seven species, RDi = 9.45) along with Accipitridae
(seven species, RDi = 9.45) had maximum diversity in Tahla gorge. It is followed by Columbidae
(six species, RDi = 8.10), Cuculidae,
Cisticolidae (four species, RDi
= 5.40), and Phasianidae, Strigidae,
& Campephagidae (three species, RDi = 4.05) families. Ten families had two species (RDi = 2.70) and 17 families were poorly represented (one
species, RDi = 1.35) (Table 2). In Chainpuriya gorge, the most diverse bird family was Muscicapidae (eight species, RDi
= 13.33). Columbidae, Cuculidae,
Cisticolidae (four species, RDi
= 6.66) were the second most diverse families followed by Sylviidae
(three species, RDi = 5). Eleven families had two
species (RDi = 3.33) and 15 families were poorly
represented (one species, RDi = 1.66) (Table 3). Muscicapidae and Accipitridae
showed the highest diversity in the gorges. The reason behind the high
diversity of family Muscicapidae was the high density
of insect (food) population in the gorges on account of high humidity and
temperature variation, flowering vegetation, and grasses (Joshi & Bhatnagar
2016). Habitat characteristics of gorges likehigh
cliffs, crevices, cavities are favourable for the
birds of Accipitridae that may lead to high diversity
of the birds of family Accipitridae.
In this study, the bird species
were categorized into six major guilds (Figure 2) which showed that the
habitat had a wide variety of food resources for the birds. The insectivorous
guild was the most abundant (T = 31, Ch = 27). It was followed by omnivorous (T
= 18, Ch = 16), carnivorous (T = 15, Ch = 9), granivorous (T = 6, Ch = 5),
frugivorous (T = 3, Ch = 2), and nectarivorous (T =
1, Ch = 1) guilds. As it is mentioned before that the local climate and
vegetation characteristics ensure high insect population for insect-eating
birds. So the gorges have a lot of food for insectivorous birds’ families Muscicapidae, Cuculidae, and Cisticolidae. The result is found with the study on a Vindhyan gorge of Kekariya by
Joshi & Bhatnagar (2016) where the insectivorous guild was dominating.
Birds of families Accipitridae, Tytonidae,
and Strigidae are the birds of prey and made a
significant account of carnivorous birds in the gorges. Tahla
had 15 species and Chainpuriya had nine species of
carnivorous birds. Besides, high cliffs, cavities, and caves in gorges are
preferred habitat for the raptors. The population of grainivorous
bird species of family Columbidae had supported by
nearby cultivation fields and grasslands. Nectarivorous
guild was represented by only a single bird species. Thus, the supporting
environment and geography of the gorges is significant for the diversity of
birds.
Seasonal changes in the bird
richness and diversity was recorded in the gorges (Table 4). Both the gorges
had the maximum bird diversity (HT = 3.55, HCh
= 3.29) in summer and the least diversity (HT = 3.40, HCh = 3.19) in monsoon. Bird species
richness was also maximum (dT = 9.63, dCH
= 8.28) in summer and the least (dT = 7.95, dCH = 7.49) in monsoon season in both
Tahla and Chainpuriya
gorges. Gorges had all life resources for the birds including water. During summers
these are the only place in the area for the birds to get water. In monsoon,
birds can find their food and water easily in the surrounding area outside the
gorge. So bird richness was recorded less in monsoon.
Breeding colonies of Long-billed
Vultures Gyps indicus (Critically Endangered) and Egyptian
Vulture Neophron percnopterus
(Endangered) were recorded in the study. As literature stated that high
cliffs are preferred nesting habitat of both Long-billed Vultures and Egyptian
Vultures (Rahmani 2015; Manchiryala
& Medicheti 2016). Tahla
gorge had high east facing cliffs with no disturbance which may provide favourable habitat for these vultures. In contrary, lack of
high cliffs in Chainpuriya, is not a suitable habitat
for the vultures as well as other raptors.
Threats and conservation
Inspite of the rich biodiversity of
gorges, several threats to the habitat and biodiversity were identified during
this study. Illegal mining of sand stones and lime stones in the area, grazing
pressure on the vegetation specially to the growing plants, firewood
collection, soil erosion, lack of awareness regarding the rich biodiversity of
the habitat and threats, and not having a proper management plan for the
conservation were the principal threats. A proper strategy at both government
and local level should be prepared to lighten the severity of the condition of
gorge ecosystems. Restoration of deforested area is the immediate requirement
to conserve biodiversity. Planned grazing in alternate areas can give enough time
to restore plants. People are stakeholders of the natural resources of the
gorges so these must be educated to conserve the resources for their
sustainable use. Workshops for local school students should be organized near
gorges to create awareness in the future generations. Tourist activities can be
promoted with some precautions to generate income for the local people.
Conclusion
It can be inferred from the
present study that these gorges have high potential to support birds from
diverse families as well as diverse habit and habitat. A large number of birds
with a high ratio of resident birds in these Vindhyan
gorges substantiate high capacity of these habitats to sustain and conserve
biodiversity.
Table 1. Birds of two Vindhyan gorges, Bhilwara,
Rajasthan.
|
Family |
English name |
Scientific name |
RS |
LG |
LS |
BS |
Guild |
Vindhyan Gorge |
|
|
Tahla |
Chainpuriya |
||||||||
|
Phasianidae |
Grey Francolin |
Francolinus pondicerianus |
R |
RG |
O |
PB |
O |
√ |
√ |
|
Jungle Bush Quail |
Perdicula asiatica |
R |
RG |
C |
PB |
O |
√ |
|
|
|
Indian Peafowl |
Pavo cristatus |
R |
IG/RG |
C |
B |
O |
√ |
√ |
|
|
Ardeidae |
Little Egret |
Egretta garzetta |
R |
IG/RG |
VC |
B |
C |
|
√ |
|
Cattle Egret |
Bubulcus ibis |
R |
RG |
VC |
B |
C |
√ |
√ |
|
|
Falconidae |
Common Kestrel |
Falco tinnunculus |
WM |
RG |
O |
NC |
C |
√ |
√ |
|
Accipitridae |
Egyptian Vulture |
Neophron percnopterus |
R |
IG |
C |
B |
C |
√ |
|
|
Indian Vulture |
Gyps indicus |
R |
IG |
C |
B |
C |
√ |
|
|
|
Crested Serpent Eagle |
Spilornis cheela |
R |
RG |
C |
NC |
C |
√ |
|
|
|
|
Shikra |
Accipiter badius |
R |
RG/IG |
C |
B |
C |
√ |
√ |
|
Oriental Honey- buzzard |
Pernis ptilorhynchus |
R |
RG |
C |
NC |
C |
√ |
|
|
|
Short-toed Snake Eagle |
Circaetus gallicus |
R |
RG |
O |
NC |
C |
√ |
√ |
|
|
Eurasian Sparrowhawk |
Accipiter nisus |
SM |
IG |
O |
NC |
C |
√ |
|
|
|
Columbidae |
Common Pigeon |
Columba livia |
R |
RG/IG |
VC |
B |
G |
√ |
√ |
|
Eurasian Collared Dove |
Streptopelia decaocto |
R |
RG/IG |
VC |
B |
G |
√ |
√ |
|
|
Red Collared Dove |
Streptopelia tranquebarica |
R |
RG |
O |
NC |
G |
√ |
|
|
|
Spotted Dove |
Stigmatopelia chinensis |
R |
RG/IG |
C |
B |
G |
√ |
√ |
|
|
Laughing Dove |
Stigmatopelia senegalensis |
R |
RG/IG |
VC |
B |
G |
√ |
√ |
|
|
Yellow-footed Green Pigeon |
Treron phoenicopterus |
R |
RG/IG |
C |
B |
F |
√ |
|
|
|
Psittacidae |
Rose-ringed Parakeet |
Psittacula krameri |
R |
RG/IG |
VC |
B |
F |
√ |
√ |
|
Plum-headed Parakeet |
Psittacula cyanocephala |
R |
RG/IG |
C |
B |
F |
√ |
√ |
|
|
Cuculidae |
Jacobin Cuckoo |
Clamator jacobinus |
SM |
RG |
O |
NC |
I |
√ |
√ |
|
Common Hawk Cuckoo |
Hierococcyx varius |
SM |
RG |
O |
NC |
I |
√ |
√ |
|
|
Asian Koel |
Eudynamys scolopaceus |
R |
RG/IG |
VC |
B |
O |
√ |
√ |
|
|
Greater Coucal |
Centropus sinensis |
R |
RG/IG |
VC |
B |
C |
√ |
√ |
|
|
Tytonidae |
Barn Owl |
Tyto alba |
R |
IG |
O |
NC |
C |
|
√ |
|
Strigidae |
SpottedOwlet |
Athene brama |
R |
RG/IG |
O |
B |
C |
√ |
√ |
|
Brown Fish Owl |
Ketupa zeylonensis |
R |
IG |
C |
NC |
C |
√ |
|
|
|
Mottled Wood-Owl |
Strix ocellata |
R |
IG |
C |
NC |
C |
√ |
|
|
|
Apodidae |
Little Swift |
Apus affinis |
R |
RG |
VC |
B |
I |
√ |
√ |
|
Coraciidae |
Indian Roller |
Coracias benghalensis |
R |
RG |
C |
B |
C |
√ |
√ |
|
Meropidae |
Green Bee-eater |
Merops orientalis |
R |
RG |
VC |
PB |
I |
√ |
√ |
|
Upupidae |
Common Hoopoe |
Upupa epops |
R |
RG |
C |
NC |
I |
√ |
√ |
|
Picidae |
Lesser Goldenbacked |
Dinopium benghalense |
R |
RG/IG |
C |
B |
I |
√ |
|
|
White-naped
Woodpecker |
Chrysocolaptes festivus |
R |
RG/IG |
C |
B |
I |
√ |
|
|
|
Aegithinidae |
Common Iora |
Aegithina tiphia |
R/LM |
RG/IG |
C |
NC |
I |
√ |
√ |
|
Campephagidae |
Large Cuckooshrike |
Coracina macei |
R |
RG |
C |
PB |
I |
√ |
|
|
Small Minivet |
Pericrocotus cinnamomeus |
R |
RG/IG |
C |
NC |
I |
√ |
√ |
|
|
Common Woodshrike |
Tephrodornis pondicerianus |
R |
RG/IG |
VC |
B |
I |
√ |
√ |
|
|
Laniidae |
Bay-backed Shrike |
Lanius vittatus |
R |
RG |
C |
NC |
C |
√ |
|
|
Long-tailed Shrike |
Lanius schach |
R |
RG |
C |
NC |
C |
√ |
|
|
|
Oriolidae |
Indian Golden Oriole |
Oriolus oriolus |
R/LM |
RG/IG |
C |
NC |
O |
√ |
|
|
Dicruridae |
Black Drongo |
Dicrurus macrocercus |
R |
RG/IG |
VC |
B |
I |
√ |
√ |
|
White-bellied Drongo |
Dicrurus caerulescens |
R |
RG/IG |
VC |
B |
I |
√ |
√ |
|
|
Rhipiduridae |
White-browed Fantail |
Rhipidura aureola |
R |
RG/IG |
VC |
PB |
I |
√ |
|
|
Monarchidae |
Asian Paradise-flycatcher |
Terpsiphone paradisi |
R/LM |
IG |
C |
PB |
I |
√ |
|
|
Corvidae |
Rufous Treepie |
Dendrocitta vagabunda |
R |
RG/IG |
VC |
B |
O |
√ |
√ |
|
Paridae |
Great Tit |
Parus major |
R |
RG/IG |
VC |
B |
O |
√ |
√ |
|
Hirundinidae |
Dusky Crag Martin |
Ptyonoprogne concolor |
R |
IG |
VC |
B |
I |
√ |
√ |
|
Red-rumped Swallow |
Cecropis daurica |
R |
IG |
VC |
B |
I |
√ |
√ |
|
|
Alaudidae |
Indian Bush Lark |
Mirafra erythroptera |
R |
RG |
C |
NC |
O |
√ |
√ |
|
Ashy-crowned Sparrow-Lark |
Eremopterix griseus |
R |
RG |
VC |
B |
O |
√ |
√ |
|
|
Cisticolidae |
Ashy Prinia |
Prinia socialis |
R |
RG/IG |
VC |
B |
I |
√ |
√ |
|
Plain Prinia |
Prinia inornata |
R |
RG/IG |
VC |
PB |
I |
√ |
√ |
|
|
Rufous-fronted Prinia |
Prinia buchanani |
R |
RG |
C |
NC |
I |
|
√ |
|
|
Grey-breasted Prinia |
Prinia hodgsonii |
R |
RG |
C |
NC |
I |
√ |
|
|
|
Common Tailorbird |
Orthotomus sutorius |
R |
RG/IG |
VC |
B |
I |
√ |
√ |
|
|
Sylviidae |
Lesser Whitethroat |
Sylvia cuouca |
WM |
RG/IG |
O |
NC |
I |
√ |
√ |
|
Sulphur bellied Warbler |
Phylloscopus griseolus |
R |
RG/IG |
C |
NC |
I |
√ |
√ |
|
|
Common Chiffchaff |
Phylloscopus collybita |
WM |
RG/IG |
O |
NC |
I |
|
√ |
|
|
Pycnonotidae |
Red-vented Bulbul |
Pycnonotus cafer |
R |
RG/IG |
VC |
B |
O |
√ |
√ |
|
Timaliidae |
Large Grey Babbler |
Turdoides malcolmi |
R |
RG/IG |
VC |
PB |
O |
√ |
√ |
|
Jungle Babbler |
Turdoides striata |
R |
RG/IG |
VC |
B |
O |
√ |
√ |
|
|
Sturnidae |
Bank Myna |
Acridotheres ginginianus |
R |
RG/IG |
VC |
B |
O |
|
√ |
|
Common Myna |
Acridotheres tristis |
R |
RG |
VC |
B |
O |
√ |
|
|
|
Brahminy Starling |
Sturnia pagodarum |
R |
RG |
VC |
B |
O |
√ |
√ |
|
|
Muscicapidae |
Indian Robin |
Saxicoloides fulicatus |
R |
RG |
VC |
B |
I |
√ |
√ |
|
Black Redstart |
Phoenicurus ochruros |
R |
RG |
O |
NC |
I |
√ |
√ |
|
|
Common Stonechat |
Saxicola torquatus |
R |
RG |
O |
NC |
I |
√ |
√ |
|
|
Pied Bushchat |
Saxicola caprata |
R |
RG |
O |
NC |
I |
√ |
√ |
|
|
Desert Wheatear |
Oenanthe deserti |
R |
RG |
O |
NC |
I |
|
√ |
|
|
Brown Rock Chat |
Cercomela fusca |
R |
RG/IG |
C |
B |
I |
√ |
√ |
|
|
Variable Wheatear |
Oenanthe picata |
WM |
RG |
O |
NC |
I |
√ |
√ |
|
|
Blue Rock-Thrush |
Monticola saxatilis |
WM |
RG |
O |
NC |
I |
|
√ |
|
|
Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher |
Culicicapa ceylonensis |
WM |
IG |
O |
NC |
I |
√ |
|
|
|
Nectariniidae |
Purple Sunbird |
Cinnyris asiaticus |
R |
RG/IG |
VC |
B |
N |
√ |
√ |
|
Zosteropidae |
Oriental White-eye |
Zosterops palpebrosus |
R/LM |
RG/IG |
O |
NC |
O |
√ |
√ |
|
Passeridae |
Chestnut-shouldered Petronia |
Gymnoris xanthocollis |
R |
RG |
VC |
B |
O |
√ |
√ |
|
Baya Weaver |
Ploceus philippinus |
R |
RG |
C |
B |
G |
√ |
|
|
|
Estrildidae |
Indian Silverbill |
Euodice malabarica |
R |
RG |
O |
B |
O |
|
√ |
|
Scaly-breasted Munia |
Lonchura punctulata |
R |
RG |
C |
NC |
O |
√ |
√ |
|
|
Emberizidae |
Crested Bunting |
Melophus lathami |
R |
RG |
O |
NC |
G |
√ |
√ |
|
Total |
74 |
60 |
|||||||
RS—Residential status |
LG—Location in the gorge | LS—Local status | BS—Breeding status | R—Resident |
WM—Winter migratory | SM—Summer migratory | RG—Roof of the gorge | IG—In the
gorge | O—Omnivorous | C—Carnivorous | G—Granivorous | I—Insectivorous | N—Nectarivorous | B—Breeding | PB—Probable breeder | NC—Not
confirm | O—Occasional | C—Common | VC—Very common.
Table 2. Relative diversity of
birds of Tahla gorge.
|
Families of birds |
No. of bird species |
Relative diversity index (RDi) |
|
Accipitridae, Muscicapidae |
7 |
9.45 |
|
Columbidae |
6 |
8.10 |
|
Cuculidae, Cisticolidae |
4 |
5.40 |
|
Phasianidae, Strigidae, Campephagidae |
3 |
4.05 |
|
Psittacidae, Picidae, ,Laniidae, Dicruridae, Hirundinidae, Alaudidae,Sylviidae, Timaliidae,
Sturnidae, Passeridae |
2 |
2.70 |
|
Ardeidae, Falconidae, Apodidae, Coraciidae, Meropidae, Upupidae, Aegithinidae, Oriolidae, Rhipiduridae, Monarchidae, Corvidae, Paridae, Pycnonotidae, Nectariniidae, Zosteropidae, Estrildidae, Emberizidae |
1 |
1.35 |
Table 3. Relative diversity of
birds of Chainpuriya gorge.
|
Families of birds |
No. of bird species |
Relative diversity index (RDi) |
|
Muscicapidae |
8 |
13.33 |
|
Columbidae, Cuculidae, Cisticolidae |
4 |
6.66 |
|
Sylviidae |
3 |
5 |
|
Phasianidae, Ardeidae, Accipitridae, Psittacidae, Alaudidae,Campephagidae,
Dicruridae, Hirundinidae,
Timaliidae, Sturnidae, Estrildidae |
2 |
3.33 |
|
Falconidae, Tytonidae, Strigidae, Apodidae, Coraciidae, Paridae, Meropidae, Upupidae, Aegithinidae, Corvidae, Pycnonotidae, Nectariniidae, Zosteropidae, Passeridae, Emberizidae |
1 |
1.66 |
Table 4. Bird diversity indexes
in different seasons of the study period.
|
Gorge |
Shanon’s diversity index H |
Species evenness |
Margalef’s richness
index d |
|||||||||
|
|
S |
W |
M |
Mean ±SE |
S |
W |
M |
Mean ±SE |
S |
W |
M |
Mean ±SE |
|
Tahla (T) |
3.55 |
3.44 |
3.40 |
3.46 ±0.04 |
0.69 |
0.56 |
0.75 |
0.67 ±0.06 |
9.63 |
10.5 |
7.95 |
9.36 ±0.75 |
|
Chainpuriya (Ch) |
3.29 |
3.37 |
3.19 |
3.29 ±0.05 |
0.61 |
0.61 |
0.61 |
0.61 ±0.00 |
8.28 |
9.11 |
7.49 |
8.29 ±0.47 |
S—Summer | W—Winter | M—Monsoon
For figures &
images - - click here for full PDF
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