Status of Terrestrial and Wetland Birds in Kawardha, Kabirdham District in Chhattisgarh, India

8/11/2019 Status of Terrestrial and Wetland Birds in Kawardha, Kabirdham District in Chhattisgarh, India

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International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, Volume 4, Issue 10, October 2014 1ISSN 2250-3153

www.ijsrp.org

Status of Terrestrial and Wetland Birds in Kawardha,

Kabirdham District in Chhattisgarh, India

Anurag Vishwakarma*Avinash Hemrom

*, K. C. Yadav

**

*Junior Research Fellow, State Forest Research & Training Institute, Raipur, Chhattisgarh (India)** APCCF & Director, State Forest Research & Training Institute, Raipur, Chhattisgarh (India)

Abstract- Birds as best indicators of wetland function or as

measures of success in wetland management, restoration and

creation. This study was conducted during Jan to March 2014;

totally 09 selected wetlands were surveyed in Kawardha,

Kabirdham District of Chhattisgarh. Species diversity and

dominance of birds were calculated. Totally 64 birds belonging

to 36 families were recorded, out of these 64 species 35 water

birds and 29 terrestrial bird species. Maximum diversity of birds

was recorded in Sutiyapath dam. Bird abundance and vegetation

cover were recorded. The highest numbers of birds were

recorded in Chhirbandha lake (21) followed by Sutiyapath dam(19), Sarodha dam (15) and Lalpur Nursery (13). Three near

threatened species, namely Threatened Egyptian vulture,

Indian Black Ibis and Oriental White Ibis were recorded. In

most of the wetlandsIpomea carnea (15.28 %) was the dominant

species. This pond has abundant maximum occasionally birds

and maximum number of birds. Sutiyapath dam has good

population of birds and this site could be protected for the birds.

I ndex Terms- Wetland Water birds Abundance

Conservation

I.

INTRODUCTION

etland birds provide us with some of natures most

wonderful sights, from vast flocks wheeling overhead to

newly hatched chicks drying in the sun. Apart from their beauty

and recreational and economic importance, these birds are

excellent indicators of water quality and measures of

biodiversity. Wetlands are extremely important areas throughout

the world for wildlife protection, recreation, sediment control,

flood prevention. Wetlands are important birds habitats and

birds use them for feeding, roosting, nesting and rearing their

young. Wetlands have been defined as swamps and other

damp areas of land but in common parlance the word is used

interchangeably with Lakes which denotes a large body of

water surrounded by land, However, internationally acceptedterm of wetlands describes them as Area of Marsh, Fen, Peat

land or water whether natural or artificial, permanent or

temporary with water, that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or

salt including areas of marine water

II.

STUDYSITE

Kabirdham district is one of the 27 administrative district of

Chhattisgarh states in central India. The district was earlier

known as Kawardha district. The district is known as Kawardha

district. The district is located between 21.32 to 22.28 north

latitude and 80.48 to 81.48 east. The wetlands consist o

Ipomea carnea biomass and some micro and macro fauna which

support the migratory birds species. Ecologically it is an

important wetland providing habitat to migratory and local bird

species. Dense vegetation and pollution free environment in

wetlands has attracted the large number of birds in winter season

The migratory birds like Gadwall, Pintail, Pochard, Shoveller &

Herons etc. visit in winter season.

III.

MATERIALANDMETHODS

Bird watching and recording has been carried out for a period of

one year January 2014 to March 2014 and observation were

made with the aid of binocular. Identification was done with the

help of field guides given by Ali and Ripley (1995), Ali Slim

(1996) and Grimith and Inskipp (1999).The study was carried out

in eight wetland habitats namely Sing pond, Bhoramdev pond

Chhir pond, Sarodha dam, Sutiyapath dam, Karranala dam and

Lalpur Nursery. Regular surveys were done by systematically

walking on fixed routes through the study area. Birds were

mostly observed during the most active period of the day, i.e.

from 6:00 to 9:00 hr and from 16:00 to 18:00 hr. However,

observations were also made during other timings according toconvenience. Observations were carried out with the aid of

Canon camera with high zoom. Birds seen were recorded along

with habitat type, season and frequency of occurrence

Identification of birds was done using field guides (Ali and

Ripley, 1987; Grimmet et al., 1999) and only those species with

confirmed identity are reported in this paper. For making the list

of birds, photographs as well as visit reports and actually

observed birds were used as evidence. According to the status

birds were categorized as Resident (R), Seasonal Local Migran

(LM) and Winter Migrant (WM) (Ali Salim 2001).

W


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Table: 1 Checklist birds recorded in Gidhwa and Parsada Wetlands with their residential movement

status.

S.

No.Family Name of birds Scientific Name Status Abundance

1 Accipitridae Black shouldered kite Elanus caeruleus R O

2 Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus R UC

3 Alaudidae

Ashy crowned sparrow-

Lark Eremopterix griseus R A

4 Alcedinidae Lesser pied kingfisher Ceryle rudis R O

5 Small blue kingfisher Alcedo atthis R O

6 White throated kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis R A

7 Anatidae Brahmny selduck Tadorna ferruginea M O

8 Common pochard Aythya ferina LM UC

9 Cotton teal(M/F) Anus crecca R O

10 Gadwall Anus strepera M O

11 Garganey Anas querquedula M O

12 Lesser whistling duck Dendrocygna javanica R O

13 Northern Pintail Anus acuta M O

14 Northern shoveller Anus clypeata M O

15 Red crested pochard Netta rufina LM O

16 Ardeidae Greater egret Ergetta alba R C

17 Indian pond heron Ardeola grayii R C

18 little egret Egretta garzetta R C

19 Yellow bittern Ixobrychus minutus R C

20 Bucerotidae Indian Grey hornbill Ocyceros birostris LM UC

21 Capitonidae Coppersmith Barbet Megalaima haemacephala R UC

22 Chloropseidae Blue-winged Leafbird

Choloropsis

cochinchinensis LM UC

23 Charadriidae Common ringed plover Charadrius hiaticula M UC

24 Red wattaled lapwing Venellus indicus R A

25 Ciconiidae Aasian openbill stork Anastomus oscitans LM O

26 Columbidae Spotted dove Strepopelia chinensis R C

27 Laughing dove Streptopelia senegalensis R A

28 Corvidae Rufous Treepie Dendrocitta vagabunda R O

29 Coraciidae Indian roller Coracius benghalensis R A

30 Cuculidae Greater coucal Centropus sinensis R C

31 Diguridae Black drongo Dicrurus macrocercus R C

32 Estrildidae Red Avadavat Amandava amandava R O

33 Jacanidae Bronzed wing jacana Metopidius indicus R A

34 Laniidae Brown shrike Lanius cristatus LM A

35 Meropidae Green bee eater Merops orientalis R C

36 Monarchidae Asian paradise flycatcher Terpsiphone paradisi R UC

37 Motacillidae Olive backed pipit Anthus hodgsoni R O

38 White wagtail Motacilla alba M O


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39 Yellow wagtail Motacilla flava M O

40 Muscicapidae Asian Brown flycatcher Muscicapa dauurica R O

41 Indian black robin Saxicoloides fulicola R A

42 Oriental magpie robin Copsychus saularis LM O

43 Nectariniidae Purple sunbird Nectarinia asiatica R A44 Oriolidae Black hooded Oriole Oriolux xanthornus R O

45 Phalacrocoracidae Little cormorant Phalacrocorax nigar R A

46 Picidae Greater flameback Chrysocolaptes lucidus R UC

47 Podicipedidae Little grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis R O

48 Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus R O

49 Psitteuidae Plum headed parakeet Psittaaculla cyanocephala R A

50 Pycnonotidae Red vented bulbul Pycnonotus cafer R O

51 Rallidae Common moorhen Gallinula chloropus LM O

52 Eurasian Coot Fulica atra LM O

53 Recurvirostridae Black winged stilt Himantopus himantopus R O

54 Scolopacidae Common redshank Tringa totanus LM UC

55 Common sandpiper Aclilis hypoleucos R O

56 Marsh sandpiper Tringa stagnatilis LM O

57 Wood sandpiper Tringa glareola M O

58 Sturnidae Asian pied starling Grawpila Contra R A

59 Brahminy Myna Temenuchus pagodarum M UC

60 Threskiornithidae Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus LM UC

61 Indian black Ibis Pseudibis papillosa LM UC

62 Oriental White IbisThreskiornismelanocephalus LM UC

63 Timaliidae Jungla babbler Turdoides striatus R A

64 Upupidae Common hoopoe Upupa epops R O

O - Occasionally AAbundance UCUncommon C - Common

IV. RESULTSANDDISCUSSION

A total of 64 species of wetland birds

belonging to 36 families distributed have been

recorded from the study area. Details such ascommon and scientific names, status and abundance

of the wetland birds are presented in. Based on the

frequency of sightings, Northern Shoveller (Anas

clypeata), Northern Pintail (Anas acuta), White-

Throated Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis),

Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus), Black-Winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus), Red-

Wattled Lapwing (Vanellus indicus), Cattle Egret

(Bubulcus ibis) and Indian Pond-Heron (Ardeola

grayii) were the common species inhabiting these

ponds/ water bodies, while Purple Heron (Ardea

purpurea) Asian Openbill Stork ,Lesser Pied

Kingfisher (Ceryle rudis), Oriental white Ibis

(Threskiornis melanocephalus),Indian Black Ibis

(Pseudibis papillosa), Glossy Ibis (Plegadis

falcinellus) and Egyptian Vulture(Neophron

percnopterus) were rarely sighted. These water birds

were found to utilize different wetland habitats

extensively for foraging, nesting and roosting on the

emergent and fringed vegetation. Water birds, being

generally at or near the top of most wetland foodchains are highly susceptible to habitat disturbances

and are therefore good indicators of generalcondition of aquatic habitats (Kushlan, 1992; Jayson

and Mathew, 2002; Kler, 2002). The rich diversity

of the wetland birds documented during the present

study may be because of availability of varied

sources of feed as well as foraging. The wetland

birds are in general being heterogeneous in theirfeeding habits (Ali and Ripley, 1987). Thus wetland

birds exploit a variety of habitats and depend upon a

mosaic of microhabitats for their survival. Paddy

fields with stray trees and scattered vegetation cover

might have extended comfortable shelter andsuitable foraging grounds for the wetland birds. The


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number of occasionally birds found is more here

because the climate condition, food and shelter are

suitable in those particular wetlands.

Figure: 1 showing the frequency of the bird in the study site

V. THREATSANDCONSERVATION

This heritage is today threatened by the increased

human interference, direct and indirect, resulting in

habitat destruction and fragmentation. In plate 1 I

have added some of the Bird like Egyptian Vulture,White Ibis, Red Crested Pochard, Grey heron and

Northern Pintail are the near threatened species

which is needed to conserve so proper scientific

methodology is required for upkeep of these birds.

One of the most important part of these pond is thatwe have identified many migratory birds here

because of (i) lack of human interference and non

polluted water bodies and I have observe that their

basic need i.e. food and shelter (ii) was in sufficient

in there. Bird conservation can also highlight thediversity of different habitats. All birds cannot live

in the same habitats, and understanding the needs

and requirements of different species can lead us tohave more compassionate tolerance for different

peoples and cultures. Climate has an enormous

influencing factor on where birds survive and

reproduce. In the short term, weather can influence

the timing of migration, territory establishment,

breeding, and egg lying. Over the long term, species

have adapted to seasonal weather trends. As global

climate pattern change, many harbingers of spring

are occurring earlier each year. We combined data

from citizen-science projects with long-term data on

weather to examine climates role in the change we

are seeing in the ranges of some bird species, as well

as the timing and outcomes of breeding.

Water birds require (iii) a cluster of platforms

within the water bodies in order to sit there for baskduring the winters. There are no platforms available

within the village ponds observed during the study.

Hence the suitable measures should be taken, to

ensure that artificial platforms should be madeavailable within the ponds with thick cover of

aquatic vegetation.

VI. CONCLUSION

The study proved that, if the present ecological

characteristics of this wetland continuous, the birds

were unable to inhibit this habitat in the immediate

future. Proper awareness class regarding the

importance of birds and vital role in daily life to thelocal peoples through different massive programs

will ultimately help the protection of birds of this

region. Being this area is one the main habitat ofwetland birds in polar zone of India, coastal region,

and sub-continent coastal zone of Asia and it should

be declared as a protected area.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Our endeavor to publish this paper is to create

awareness to teach young ornithologists a little

about birds found in Chhattisgarh State. We

acknowledge our indebtedness in the writing of this

paper. We are highly grateful to Shri Ram Prakash(PCCF Wildlife), Chhattisgarh Forest for his

valuable cooperation to carry out the research work.


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We express our sincere thanks to Shri Vishvesh

Kumar Rai Divisional forest officer, Kawardha

Division, Chhattisgarh and also thankful to the local

informer and regular bird watcher Shri Horilal

Dhurve of Kawardha of his healthy cooperation and

support during the research study.


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Plate: 1

A. Northern Pintail B. Red Crested Pochard

C.

Egyptian Vulture D. Grey Heron

E. Oriental White Ibis

Figure: 2 Some Resident, Local migratory and Migratory bird of Kawardha forest division Chhattisgarh.


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AUTHORS

First AuthorAnurag Vishwakarma, Junior Research Fellow,

State Forest Research & Training Institute, Raipur, Chhattisgarh,

India; e-mail: [email protected]

Second AuthorAvinash Hemrom, Junior Research Fellow,

State Forest Research & Training Institute, Raipur, Chhattisgarh,

India. e-mail: [email protected]

Third AuthorR. K. Patley, Technical Assistant, State Forest

Research & Training Institute, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India; e-

mail: [email protected]

Fourth AuthorK.C. Yadav, Director, State Forest Research &

Training Institute, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India; e-mail:

[email protected]

Correspondence AuthorAnurag Vishwakarma, Junior

Research Fellow, State Forest Research & Training Institute,

Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India; e-mail: [email protected]

Documents

Status of Terrestrial and Wetland Birds in Kawardha, Kabirdham District in Chhattisgarh, India