Birds of Lansdowne forest division and adjacent suburban landscapes, Garhwal Himalayas, Uttarakhand, India: Community structure and seasonal distribution

• Main Authors: MOHAN KUKRETI, DINESH BHATT
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MBI & UNS Solo 2014-04-01
• Series: Biodiversitas
• Subjects: Avian diversity; Garhwal; Himalayas Lansdowne forest; species richness
• Online Access: http://biodiversitas.mipa.uns.ac.id/D/D1501/D150112.pdf

Kukreti M, Bhatt D. 2014. Birds of Lansdowne forest division and adjacent suburban landscapes, Garhwal Himalayas, Uttarakhand, India: Community structure and seasonal distribution. Biodiversitas 15: 78-86. This study of bird diversity aims at understanding distribution pattern and structure of avifauna of two forest ranges and adjoining suburban areas of Lansdowne forest division, Uttarakhand, India. Data on the abundance and richness were collected by standardized Verner’s line transects method for two years (January 2011 to December 2012). A total of 216 species were recorded from the study area. Family Muscicapidae with 30 species was found to be dominant in the forest habitat, while family Corvidae with 10 species was found to be dominant in suburban area. Results indicate that the forest had more complex bird community structure in terms of higher species richness (8.95 vs 8.59), higher species diversity (Shannon’s index 3.86 vs 3.74), higher evenness (0.085 vs 0.080) and more rare species (74 vs 15) as compared to urban habitat. Bird species richness (BSR) and bird species diversity (BSD) fluctuated across seasons but not across habitat types. In order to sustain avian diversity, it is recommended that anthropogenic disturbance should be reduced and traditional agroforestry should be developed in the study area.