Journal of Threatened Taxa |
www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 August 2024 | 16(8): 25663–25674
ISSN 0974-7907
(Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print)
https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.7935.16.8.25663-25674
#7935 | Received 27
March 2022 | Final received 23 June 2024 | Finally accepted 15 July 2024
Seasonal changes in waterbird assemblages in Chambal River at Mukundra Hills National Park, Rajasthan, India
Arun George 1 ,
Megha Sharma 2 , Kavin
Duraisamy 3 , P.C. Sreelekha
Suresh 4 , Bijo Joy 5
,
Govindan Veeraswami
Gopi 6 ,
S.A. Hussain 7 & J.A. Johnson 8
1,2,3,4,6,7,8 Post Box #18, Chandrabani,
Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, Uttarakhand 248001, India.
5 Conservator of Forest, Forest
Department, Rajasthan 324010, India.
1 arungeorgep96@gmail.com, 2 meghakota111@gmail.com,
3 kavin@wii.gov.in, 4 sreelekhatly@gmail.com,
5 joybijo@gmail.com, 6 gopigv@wii.gov.in,
7 ainul.hussain@gmail.com, 8 jaj@wii.gov.in
(corresponding author)
Editor: H. Byju,
Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. Date of publication: 26 August
2024 (online & print)
Citation: George, A., M. Sharma, K. Duraisamy, P.C.S.
Suresh, B. Joy, G.V. Gopi, S.A. Hussain & J.A. Johnson (2024). Seasonal
changes in waterbird assemblages in Chambal River at Mukundra Hills National Park, Rajasthan, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 16(8):
25663–25674. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.7935.16.8.25663-25674
Copyright: © George et al. 2024. 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: Rajasthan Forests Department.
Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.
Author details: Arun George (AG) completed his master’s in Zoology from Calicut university, and engaged in research with a focus on ornithology. Megha Sharma (MS)
did her post-graduation in Wildlife Science and presently working as a Project Associate at Wildlife Institute of India with a focus on freshwater ecology and river conservation. Kavin Duraisamy (KD) completed his masters in Environmental Sciences with specialization in freshwater fish ecology, presently he is doing his PhD at Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai. P.C. Sreelekha Suresh
(PCSS) presently studying molecular techniques for biodiversity conservation in Senckenberg-Dresden, Germany. Bijoy Joy (BJ) is a Forest Officer belongs to Rajasthan Forest Department. Govindan Veeraswami Gopi
(GVG) is a faculty at Wildlife Institute of India, largely working on Waterbirds and Wetland conservation. S.A.
Hussain (SAH) is a leading
Wetland Ecologist, currently working on River Conservation Programmes of India. J.A. Johnson (JAJ)
is a faculty at Wildlife Institute of India, largely working on River Ecology and Wetland Conservation.
Author contributions: AG and KD contributed to data collection, scientific analysis, and manuscript writing. MS and PCSS contributed to data collection. BJ provided financial support and local logistic for conducting field work. The entire work was designed, supervised by JAJ, GVG and SAH, they also involved in critical analysis of all findings.
Acknowledgements: We are thankful to the chief
conservator of forests and wildlife warden, Rajasthan for providing necessary
permissions to carry out this work. We also express our sincere thanks to the
chief conservator of forests (Wildlife) Kota and the field director, Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve for providing all support to
complete this study. We would like to show our gratitude to the director, dean,
and registrar of, Wildlife Institute of India (WII) for their encouragement and
administrative support. The financial support received from the Rajasthan
Forests Department is greatly acknowledged. Finally, we would like to
acknowledge and pay respectful thanks to the front-line forest staff Mr.
Prakash Choudhry, Mrs. Bulbul Kanwar, fishermen and field assistants for their
reliable support during this study. The contribution of these people has made
this project possible and successful.
Abstract: The seasonal pattern of species
diversity and abundance of waterbirds of the Chambal
River in the extent of Mukundra Hills National Park,
Rajasthan, India was evaluated. The pre-monsoon (March–April 2021) and
post-monsoon surveys (August–September 2021) were carried out using the direct
count method with the help of a motorboat to monitor the population status of waterbirds. A total of 44 species of waterbirds
belonging to 15 families and nine orders were identified, including 11 winter
migratory species. Forty species of birds were recorded during pre-monsoon and
27 species during post-monsoon seasons. The species richness and relative
abundance varied significantly between observed seasons (x2 =
532.77, df = 43, p <0.05). Breeding
activities of three species were recorded, namely, Grey Heron, Black-crowned
Night Heron, and the ‘Near Threatened’ Woolly-necked Stork. The present study
reveals the status of waterbirds in the protected
area of Mukundra Hills National Park.
Keywords: Avifauna, Central Asian Flyway,
Heronry, migratory birds, pre and post-monsoon, seasonal patterns, species
richness.
Abbreviations: IUCN—International Union for
Conservation of Nature | CAF—Central Asian Flyway.
Introduction
The biodiversity assessment is a crucial component of
conservation and is most often used to evaluate the importance of indigenous
biodiversity values at one site compared with others (Usher 1986). The
diversity of significant megafauna in a particular habitat is also widely used
for assessing a riverine ecosystem. It includes major vertebrates like fishes,
reptiles, waterbirds, and aquatic mammals. Freshwater
fishes and waterbirds are by far the best-studied
groups of freshwater habitats; sometimes, they are used as an indicator of
ecosystem health (Revenga et al. 2005). Wetland
ecosystems are generally considered to be one of the most productive as well as
fragile ecosystems. The waterbirds are considered
significant biological indicators of the health of these ecosystems. Globally,
871 species of waterbirds have been identified so far
(Gopi & Hussain 2014).
Wetland biodiversity strongly depends on the quality,
quantity, and local water cycle (van der Valk 2006).
The hydroperiod may substantially impact species sorting and assemblage; thus,
local variation in the hydrological pattern may constitute an important
predictor of species composition (Urban 2004; Brönmark
& Hansson 2005). The abundance and diversity of wetland birds show a strong
relationship with seasons, the maximum turnover of bird density, diversity, and
species richness observed in migratory seasons (Nagarajan & Thiyagesan 1996; Khan 2010; Pandiyan
et al. 2010).
India covers a wide range of wetland habitats known to
support the occurrence of over 240 species of waterbirds,
except for 33 vagrant waterbirds (Gopi & Hussain
2014). Of the 243 species, 114 are migratory, and among them, two are summer
visitors, four are local visitors, and 108 are winter visitors. Forty-four
species of waterbirds are threatened as per the IUCN
Red List 2014 (Gopi & Hussain 2014). Regarding Indian states, around 485
species of birds have been reported in Rajasthan (eBird
2021). Some of the studies on waterbirds in different
parts of India are Kumar et al. (2007), Khan (2010), Mazumdar (2019), and Kar
& Debata (2019). However, the information on
seasonal variation in waterbird assemblage in
riverine habitats is inadequate from wetlands of semi-arid regions. Systematic
studies on the diversity and abundance of the waterbirds
of the Chambal River in Mukundra Hills National Park
are lacking. In order to evaluate one of the important rivers in a semi-arid
region, the present study was undertaken to assess the seasonal status of waterbird assemblages in the Chambal River between
Kota Barrage and Jawahar Sagar Dam, Rajasthan, India.
Study Area
The study area encompassed a total stretch of 30 km of
the Chambal River upstream from Kota Barrage to Jawahar Sagar Dam, a part of Mukundra
Hills National Park (25.176–25.037 0N and 75.825–75.678 0E;
Figure 1). The most extended and only perennial river of Rajasthan state, the
Chambal River originates from the southern slopes of Madhya Pradesh and flows
through Rajasthan in the northeast direction covering a total distance of 960
km before joining to Yamuna River in Uttar Pradesh. Nearly 24% of the river
course falls within Rajasthan and sprays over seven districts, mainly over southeastern districts embracing Kota, Baran, Jhalawar, and
Bundi, called the ‘Hadoti
region’. The study site of Mukundra Hills National
Park is an evenly topped and virtually parallel hill with a narrow central
elevation. It has a subtropical climate with a wide array of temperatures
(7–43°C) and rainfall (4–225 mm) throughout the year (IMD 2021). The vegetation
consists of a ravine thorn forest, a subtype of the northern tropical forests
(Champion & Seth 1968). The gorges of Chambal River, with an average width
of 220 m and an elevation of about 850 m, are life ground to various bird
species, including waterbirds, vultures, and other
raptors.
Materials and Methods
The study was carried out during the months of
March--------–April and August--------–September 2021, largely classified into
pre-monsoon and post-monsoon seasons, respectively. To understand the spatial
status of waterbird assemblages, the total study
stretch was divided into five equal segments of 5 km in length (Figure 1). Each
segment was surveyed twice in a season and waterbird
counts were made by direct count method with the help of a slow-moving
motorboat (with an average speed of 5 kmph) (Weller
1999). During the survey, we observed birds on either side of the river banks/
riparian strips using binoculars (Hawke Nature Trek 8 × 42 mm & Nikon 8 ×
40). To maximize the detection, surveys were conducted during the hours of peak
activity of birds, i.e., 0630–1030 h and 1500–1730 h. Waterbirds
were identified upto species level using standard
field guides (Ali & Ripley 1987; Grimmett et al.
2016).
The residential/ migratory status of waterbirds
was extracted from available literature (Ali & Ripley 1987; Grimmet et al. 2016). The checklist of Indian birds to
obtain common and scientific names of waterbirds was
followed (Praveen et al. 2021). We assigned the global conservation status of
recorded waterbirds based on the IUCN Red List
assessments (IUCN 2021). The Shannon diversity
index (H), dominance index (D), and evenness index were calculated to evaluate
the diversity trend between studied seasons. We also performed a chi-square
test (X2) to evaluate species richness and abundance variances
between the seasons. Based on the abundance of different species, a
hierarchical clustering using a single linkage algorithm and Bray–Curtis
similarity index was prepared to find the rescaled (dis)similarity in species
richness between studied river segments. All statistical analyses were done
using the software PAST version 4.03 (Hammer et al. 2001). Relative species
abundance (RA) of families was calculated using the following formula as per
Torre-Cuadros et al. (2007).
RA = Ni / Nt × 100
Ni is the number of species in a family and Nt is the total number of species.
Results
The present study recorded a total of 44 species of waterbirds belonging to 15 families and nine orders. The
checklist of waterbirds recorded in the study area is
presented in Table 1. Among the species, the order Pelecaniformes
was well noticed and represented by two families and 14 species (Table 1).
Similarly, the family Ardeidae belonging to the Pelicaniformes order was the most dominating family, with a
maximum of twelve species. In each, only one species represented families like Anhingidae, Ciconidae, Podicipedidae, and Recurvirostridae.
The highest overall species richness was observed during
the pre-monsoon season (S = 44), with a high number at river segment one (32
species). At the same time, low species richness was observed during the
post-monsoon season, where only 27 species were recorded (Table 2). The species
richness of waterbirds varied considerably between
the seasons. Orders Pelecaniformes and Charadriiformes were encountered more in pre-monsoon with
12 and 10 species, respectively. The post-monsoon also shows the same trend
with nine species in Pelecaniformes and six species
in Charadriiformes (Figure 3). The total number of
individuals of waterbirds observed in pre-monsoon
(Number of Individuals N = 1233) was much higher than the post-monsoon (N =
336) (X2 = 532.77, df = 43, p
<0.05). The Shannon index was highest in segment one during post-monsoon (H
= 2.44) and least in segment five (H = 1.62). The segment-wise information on waterbird assemblages covering pre-monsoon and post-monsoon
seasons is given in Table 2.
In the pre-monsoon, segment-wise waterbird
abundance ranged from 61 to 594 individuals (Table 2), with an average of 246.6
≤ 1.60 (≤ z value). In the case of post-monsoon, waterbird
abundance was reduced to 336 individuals with an average of 67.2 ≤ 1.69 (≤ z
value). Similarly, the bird species composition also varied between the
seasons. Darters and Cormorants were most abundant during pre-monsoon and
constituted about 50% of the total pre-monsoon population (Figure 2). Next,
egrets, herons, and bitterns populations dominated in
the waterbird assemblage; they occupied 22.87% of the
population (N = 188). In the post-monsoon season, Egrets, Herons, Kingfishers,
Terns and Gulls were almost equal in abundance (Figure 2). Little Cormorant Microcarbo niger
and Indian Cormorant Phalacrocorax fuscicollis were dominant in overall abundance with
19.76% and 17.72%, respectively. Among the 44 species observed, 33 were
residents, and 11 were winter migrants (Table 1). Most of the winter migrants
belong to the order Charadriiformes, including
species such as the Common Sandpiper Actitis
hypoleucos, Green Sandpiper Tringa
ochropus, Wood Sandpiper Tringa
glareola, and Pallas’s Gull Ichthyaetus
ichthyaetus. Four out of the 44 species recorded
in the study area are globally threatened (Table 1). Among these, three species
are listed as Near-threatened (NT) and one species as Vulnerable (VU) according
to the IUCN Red List assessments (IUCN 2021).
The dendrogram analysis results showed differences in
species composition between segments (Figure 4). The dendrogram produced three
distinct clusters: one containing segment one, another containing segment five,
and a third combining segments two, three, and four. There was a distinct
variation in species composition between clusters one and two, indicating that
segments two, three, and four had different species compositions. High
dissimilarities in species assemblages between segments one and five led to
their segregation into separate clusters. Segments three and four, showing the
highest similarity in species composition, were grouped together in a single
cluster (Figure 4).
DISCUSSION
It is a well-known fact that the Chambal River serves as
one of the best over-wintering sites for migratory birds (Nair & Krishna
2013). Our surveys revealed that the Chambal River gorge provides a potential
nesting site for three important waterbirds, including
the threatened Woolly-necked Stork Ciconia episcopus. Grey Heron Ardea
cinerea and Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax
are the other two species observed with the nests.
It was observed
that resident species dominate the bird community, similar to that of earlier
studies reported from different parts of India (Verma
2008; Nair & Krishna 2013; Kar & Debata
2019). In the present study, 33 resident waterbirds,
constituting about 75% of the total recorded species from the study area were
recorded. The remaining 25% were winter migrants. Generally, food availability,
water levels, and habitat diversity are the essential factors determining the
abundance and distribution of waterbirds (Saygili et al. 2011). Earlier studies have found that the
Chambal River inhabits highly diverse fish fauna (Sivakumar & Choudhury
2008; Meshram 2010; Nair & Krishna 2013), which
may be one of the reasons for the congregation of residents as well as
wintering waterbirds.
The species richness, diversity, and abundance of waterbirds in the study area varied seasonally, and it may
be due to the movement pattern of long-distance migrants during winter and
local migrants during summer. The Central Asian Flyway (CAF) is one of nine
global waterbird flyways, where India serves as a
destination for nearly 71% of the CAF’s migratory waterbirds
(Kumar 2019). Maintaining the health of Indian wetlands is thus critical for
the survival of waterbird populations along the
Flyway. In India, the arrival of waterbirds occurs in
October, and departure takes place in March (Kar & Debata
2019). Thus, the high species richness and abundance of the waterbirds
encountered during pre-monsoon account for migrant waterbirds
in the study area. Though the survey season was at the temporal end of winter,
few winter migratory species were observed during the surveys. Most wetlands
usually dry during high temperatures, and resident waterbirds
typically move to appropriate permanent water habitats (Balachandran et al.
2009). This might be the reason for the increase in the abundance of darters
and cormorants in pre-monsoon. The increase in local abundance of some resident
birds, which possibly have migrated from nearby dried-up wetlands, was observed
by Kar & Debata (2019). During the post-season,
resident waterbirds are much more widely distributed
due to the availability of wetland habitats and food resources (Kar & Debata 2019). Thus, this might be the reason for the lowest
species richness encountered in the study area in post-monsoon.
About 65.58% of the total waterbird
species in the present study, as reported in earlier studies were recorded.
Previous long-term studies by Verma (2008) reported
61 species, from the entire Rajasthan state. Vyas (2006) studied the heronries
of the Kota district alone and recorded 829 nests. Cattle Egrets and Cormorants
were the most abundant species in his heronry study. Apart from these, we also
witnessed the breeding activities of Grey Heron Ardea
cinerea, Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax,
and Woolly-necked Stork Ciconia episcopus in the study area. A total of 36 nests of
Herons and five nests of Storks were observed in the Chambal River at Mukundra Hills National Park. Compared to an earlier study
by Vyas (2006), the breeding activities of the Woolly-necked Stork, Grey Heron,
and Night Heron are new additions to the heronries information of the Kota
district, Rajasthan. A recent study by Koli et al.
(2019) observed the nesting association of Black-headed Ibis with some other waterbirds, whereas it was
observed that the nesting activity of Herons and Stork was independent of each other.
From the study, it can be inferred that the Chambal River
stretch flowing through the Mukundra Hills National
Park is a potential congregation site for resident waterbirds
in pre-monsoon. Moreover, the area supported the breeding of some resident waterbirds,
including the ‘Near Threatened’ Woolly-necked Stork Ciconia
episcopus. In the present study, we also recorded
some of the migratory waterbirds. Though the study
area falls under the well-protected stretch of the Chambal River, some levels
of human disturbance were observed in the study area, such as illegal fishing
and noise pollution from residents, which may potentially disturb the residing
and migrant waterbirds. In addition, abandoned
fishing nets and lines threaten the Chambal River bird community, specifically
diving waterbirds. Thus, sensitizing the local
community towards conserving waterbirds and their
habitat is essential for the long-term conservation of waterbirds
in the Chambal River.
Table 1. Checklist of waterbirds
recorded in Chambal River between Kota barrage and Jawahar Sagar
Dam, Rajasthan.
|
Common name |
Zoological name |
IUCN Red List status |
Residential status |
Feeding guild |
Relative abundance (%) |
||
|
Pre-monsoon |
Post-monsoon |
Overall |
|||||
|
Order:Coraciiformes |
|||||||
|
Family: Alcedinidae |
|||||||
|
Common Kingfisher |
Alcedo atthis (Linnaeus, 1758) |
LC |
R |
CA |
1.54 |
- |
1.21 |
|
Pied Kingfisher |
Ceryle rudis (Linnaeus, 1758) |
LC |
R |
CA |
0.16 |
- |
0.13 |
|
Stork-billed Kingfisher |
Pelargopsis capensis (Linnaeus, 1766) |
LC |
R |
CA |
0.08 |
0.6 |
0.19 |
|
White-throated Kingfisher |
Halcyon smyrnensis
(Linnaeus,
1758) |
LC |
R |
CA |
4.06 |
19.05 |
7.27 |
|
Order: Anseriformes |
|||||||
|
Family: Anatidae |
|||||||
|
Garganey |
Spatula querquedula (Linnaeus, 1758) |
LC |
WM |
OM |
0.32 |
5.06 |
1.34 |
|
Lesser Whistling Duck |
Dendrocygna javanica (Horsfield, 1821) |
LC |
R |
HE |
- |
1.49 |
0.32 |
|
Ruddy Shelduck |
Tadorna ferruginea (Pallas, 1764) |
LC |
WM |
OM |
0.16 |
- |
0.13 |
|
Indian Spot-billed Duck |
Anas poecilorhyncha
(Forster, 1781) |
LC |
R |
HE |
0.16 |
- |
0.13 |
|
Tufted Duck |
Aythya fuligula (Linnaeus, 1758) |
LC |
WM |
OM |
0.08 |
- |
0.06 |
|
Order: Suliformes |
|||||||
|
Family: Anhingidae |
|||||||
|
Oriental Darter |
Anhinga melanogaster (Pennant, 1769) |
NT |
R |
PI |
0.32 |
0.3 |
0.32 |
|
Family: Phalacrocoracidae |
|||||||
|
Great Cormorant |
Phalacrocorax carbo (Linnaeus, 1758) |
LC |
R |
PI |
0.65 |
- |
0.51 |
|
Indian Cormorant |
Phalacrocorax fuscicollis (Stephens, 1826) |
LC |
R |
PI |
22.3 |
0.89 |
17.72 |
|
Little Cormorant |
Microcarbo niger (Vieillot, 1817) |
LC |
R |
PI |
23.28 |
6.85 |
19.76 |
|
Order: Pelecaniformes |
|||||||
|
Family: Ardeidae |
|||||||
|
Intermediate Egret |
Ardea intermedia (Wagler, 1829) |
LC |
R |
CA |
0.08 |
- |
0.06 |
|
Indian Pond Heron |
Ardeola grayii (Sykes, 1832) |
LC |
R |
CA |
2.51 |
3.27 |
2.68 |
|
Black-crowned Night Heron |
Nycticorax nycticorax (Linnaeus, 1758) |
LC |
R |
CA |
1.3 |
3.27 |
1.72 |
|
Cattle Egret |
Bubulcus ibis (Linnaeus, 1758) |
LC |
R |
CA |
3 |
0.3 |
2.42 |
|
Great Egret |
Ardea alba (Linnaeus, 1758) |
LC |
R |
CA |
1.05 |
0.6 |
0.96 |
|
Grey Heron |
Ardea cinerea (Linnaeus, 1758) |
LC |
R |
CA |
8.19 |
11.9 |
8.99 |
|
Little Egret |
Egretta garzetta (Linnaeus, 1766) |
LC |
R |
CA |
1.22 |
- |
0.96 |
|
Purple Heron |
Ardea purpurea (Linnaeus, 1766) |
LC |
R |
CA |
1.62 |
2.38 |
1.78 |
|
Striated Heron |
Butorides striata (Linnaeus, 1758) |
LC |
R |
CA |
0.32 |
- |
0.25 |
|
Black Bittern |
Ixobrychus flavicollis (Latham, 1790) |
LC |
R |
CA |
- |
0.3 |
0.06 |
|
Cinnamon Bittern |
Ixobrychus cinnamomeus
(J.F. Gmelin, 1789) |
LC |
R |
CA |
- |
0.3 |
0.06 |
|
Yellow Bittern |
Ixobrychus sinensis (Gmelin, 1789) |
LC |
R |
CA |
0.16 |
0.3 |
0.19 |
|
Family: Threskiornithidae |
|||||||
|
Black-headed Ibis |
Threskiornis melanocephalus (Latham, 1790) |
NT |
R |
CA |
0.65 |
- |
0.51 |
|
Red-naped
Ibis |
Pseudibis papillosa (Temminck, 1824) |
LC |
R |
CA |
0.08 |
- |
0.06 |
|
Order: Charadriiformes |
|||||||
|
Family: Charadriidae |
|||||||
|
Red-wattled
Lapwing |
Vanellus indicus (Boddaert, 1783) |
LC |
R |
IN |
12.08 |
3.87 |
10.33 |
|
Family: Jacanidae |
|||||||
|
Bronze-winged Jacana |
Metopidius indicus (Latham, 1790) |
LC |
R |
HE |
1.05 |
0.6 |
0.96 |
|
Family: Laridae |
|||||||
|
River Tern |
Sterna aurantia (Gray, 1831) |
NT |
R |
PI |
3.57 |
19.94 |
7.07 |
|
Whiskered Tern |
Chlidonias hybrida (Pallas, 1811) |
LC |
R |
CA |
0.89 |
1.79 |
1.08 |
|
Lesser Black-backed Gull |
Larus fuscus (Linnaeus, 1758) |
LC |
WM |
CA |
0.32 |
- |
0.25 |
|
Pallas's Gull |
Ichthyaetus ichthyaetus (Pallas, 1773) |
LC |
WM |
PI |
0.16 |
- |
0.13 |
|
Family: Scolopacidae |
|||||||
|
Common Sandpiper |
Actitis hypoleucos (Linnaeus, 1758) |
LC |
WM |
IN |
0.08 |
2.68 |
0.64 |
|
Green Sandpiper |
Tringa ochropus (Linnaeus, 1758) |
LC |
WM |
IN |
0.32 |
- |
0.25 |
|
Wood Sandpiper |
Tringa glareola (Linnaeus, 1758) |
LC |
WM |
IN |
0.32 |
- |
0.25 |
|
Famil: Recurvirostridae |
|||||||
|
Black-winged Stilt |
Himantopus himantopus (Linnaeus, 1758) |
LC |
WM |
CA |
2.27 |
0.3 |
1.85 |
|
Order: Gruiformes |
|||||||
|
Family: Rallidae |
|||||||
|
Common Moorhen |
Gallinula chloropus (Linnaeus, 1758) |
LC |
R |
OM |
0.24 |
- |
0.19 |
|
White-breasted Waterhen |
Amaurornis phoenicurus (Pennant, 1769) |
LC |
R |
OM |
3.81 |
3.87 |
3.82 |
|
Baillon's Crake |
Zapornia pusilla (Pallas, 1776) |
LC |
WM |
IN |
0.16 |
- |
0.13 |
|
Order: Passeriformes |
|||||||
|
Family: Motacillidae |
|||||||
|
Grey Wagtail |
Motacilla cinerea (Tunstall, 1771) |
LC |
WM |
IN |
- |
0.3 |
0.06 |
|
White-browed Wagtail |
Motacilla maderaspatensis (Gmelin,
1789) |
LC |
R |
IN |
1.05 |
2.98 |
1.47 |
|
Order: Ciconiiformes |
|||||||
|
Family: Ciconiidae |
|||||||
|
Woolly-necked Stork |
Ciconia episcopus (Boddaert, 1783) |
VU |
R |
CA |
0.24 |
6.55 |
1.59 |
|
Order: Podicipediformes |
|||||||
|
Family: Podicipedidae |
|||||||
|
Little Grebe |
Tachybaptus ruficollis (Pallas, 1764) |
LC |
R |
IN |
0.08 |
0.3 |
0.13 |
NT—Near Threatened |
VU—Vulnerable | LC—Least Concern | R—Resident | WM—Winter Migrant |
CA—Carnivore | IN—Insectivore | OM—Omnivore | PI—Piscivore | HE—Herbivore.
Table 2.
Season wise diversity of waterbirds recorded
in Chambal River between Kota barrage and Jawahar Sagar
Dam, Rajasthan.
|
Segment |
Season |
Species richness (D) |
Abundance (N) |
Shannon index (H) |
Dominance (D) |
Evenness (J) |
|
S1 |
Pre-monsoon |
32 |
594 |
2.15 |
0.24 |
0.26 |
|
Post-monsoon |
19 |
100 |
2.44 |
0.12 |
0.60 |
|
|
S2 |
Pre-monsoon |
16 |
237 |
2.02 |
0.20 |
0.47 |
|
Post-monsoon |
14 |
62 |
2.23 |
0.13 |
0.72 |
|
|
S3 |
Pre-monsoon |
13 |
156 |
1.84 |
0.23 |
0.48 |
|
Post-monsoon |
11 |
56 |
1.96 |
0.18 |
0.64 |
|
|
S4 |
Pre-monsoon |
11 |
185 |
1.85 |
0.18 |
0.58 |
|
Post-monsoon |
12 |
71 |
1.96 |
0.18 |
0.59 |
|
|
S5 |
Pre-monsoon |
15 |
61 |
2.15 |
0.18 |
0.57 |
|
Post-monsoon |
9 |
46 |
1.62 |
0.28 |
0.56 |
|
|
Overall |
Pre-monsoon |
40 |
1233 |
2.52 |
0.13 |
0.31 |
|
Post-monsoon |
27 |
336 |
2.56 |
0.11 |
0.49 |
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