The present study was conducted in Sultanpur National Park Gurgaon, Haryana (India) from February, 2011 to January, 2013 to analyze the avian diversity along with its status and abundance. During the study period, a total of 79 wetland species belongings to 10 orders, 23 families and 56 genera were identified. The order Anseriformes was the most dominant represented by 18.9% of the total identified wetland avian species followed by Charadriiformes (17.72%), Passeriformes (16.45%), Ciconiiformes (15.18%) and Pelecaniformes (5.06%). The order Apodiformes and Podicipediformes were the least represented order (1.26%) with one species each, namely, Swift, Apus apus and Little Grebe, Tachybaptus ruficollis respectively. Out of total 79 wetland avian species, 31 were ‘occasional’ species, 13 were ‘uncommon’ species, 12 were ‘abundant’ species, 11 were ‘common’ species and 12 were ‘rare’ species. Based on the frequency of sighting, Pied King Fisher, Ceryle rudis; Chestnut Headed Bee-Eater, Merops leschenaultia; Cotton Pygmy Goose, Nettapus coromandelianus; Eurasian Spoonbill, Platalea leucorodia; Little-ringed Plover, Charadrius dubius; Pheasant-Tailed Jacana, Hydrophasianus chirurgus were ‘rarely sighted’ wetland species.
Article Citation:
Girish Chopra, Anil K. Tyor and Seema Kumari
A study on the wetland avian species of Sultanpur National Park Gurgaon, Haryana (India)
Journal of Research in Biology (2013) 3(5): 1032-1040
Full Text:
http://jresearchbiology.com/documents/RA0370.pdf
Título original
A Study on the Wetland Avian Species of Sultanpur National Park Gurgaon, Haryana (India)
The present study was conducted in Sultanpur National Park Gurgaon, Haryana (India) from February, 2011 to January, 2013 to analyze the avian diversity along with its status and abundance. During the study period, a total of 79 wetland species belongings to 10 orders, 23 families and 56 genera were identified. The order Anseriformes was the most dominant represented by 18.9% of the total identified wetland avian species followed by Charadriiformes (17.72%), Passeriformes (16.45%), Ciconiiformes (15.18%) and Pelecaniformes (5.06%). The order Apodiformes and Podicipediformes were the least represented order (1.26%) with one species each, namely, Swift, Apus apus and Little Grebe, Tachybaptus ruficollis respectively. Out of total 79 wetland avian species, 31 were ‘occasional’ species, 13 were ‘uncommon’ species, 12 were ‘abundant’ species, 11 were ‘common’ species and 12 were ‘rare’ species. Based on the frequency of sighting, Pied King Fisher, Ceryle rudis; Chestnut Headed Bee-Eater, Merops leschenaultia; Cotton Pygmy Goose, Nettapus coromandelianus; Eurasian Spoonbill, Platalea leucorodia; Little-ringed Plover, Charadrius dubius; Pheasant-Tailed Jacana, Hydrophasianus chirurgus were ‘rarely sighted’ wetland species.
Article Citation:
Girish Chopra, Anil K. Tyor and Seema Kumari
A study on the wetland avian species of Sultanpur National Park Gurgaon, Haryana (India)
Journal of Research in Biology (2013) 3(5): 1032-1040
Full Text:
http://jresearchbiology.com/documents/RA0370.pdf
The present study was conducted in Sultanpur National Park Gurgaon, Haryana (India) from February, 2011 to January, 2013 to analyze the avian diversity along with its status and abundance. During the study period, a total of 79 wetland species belongings to 10 orders, 23 families and 56 genera were identified. The order Anseriformes was the most dominant represented by 18.9% of the total identified wetland avian species followed by Charadriiformes (17.72%), Passeriformes (16.45%), Ciconiiformes (15.18%) and Pelecaniformes (5.06%). The order Apodiformes and Podicipediformes were the least represented order (1.26%) with one species each, namely, Swift, Apus apus and Little Grebe, Tachybaptus ruficollis respectively. Out of total 79 wetland avian species, 31 were ‘occasional’ species, 13 were ‘uncommon’ species, 12 were ‘abundant’ species, 11 were ‘common’ species and 12 were ‘rare’ species. Based on the frequency of sighting, Pied King Fisher, Ceryle rudis; Chestnut Headed Bee-Eater, Merops leschenaultia; Cotton Pygmy Goose, Nettapus coromandelianus; Eurasian Spoonbill, Platalea leucorodia; Little-ringed Plover, Charadrius dubius; Pheasant-Tailed Jacana, Hydrophasianus chirurgus were ‘rarely sighted’ wetland species.
Article Citation:
Girish Chopra, Anil K. Tyor and Seema Kumari
A study on the wetland avian species of Sultanpur National Park Gurgaon, Haryana (India)
Journal of Research in Biology (2013) 3(5): 1032-1040
Full Text:
http://jresearchbiology.com/documents/RA0370.pdf
A study on the wetland avian species of Sultanpur National Park Gurgaon, Haryana (India) Journal of Research in Biology (2013) 3(5): 1032-1040 J o u r n a l
o f
R e s e a r c h
i n
B i o l o g y
A study on the wetland avian species of Sultanpur National Park Gurgaon, Haryana (India) Keywords: Wetland, Wetland Species, Water Birds, Water Associated Birds, Sultanpur National Park. ABSTRACT:
The present study was conducted in Sultanpur National Park Gurgaon, Haryana (India) from February, 2011 to January, 2013 to analyze the avian diversity along with its status and abundance. Duri ng the study peri od, a total of 79 wetland species belongings to 10 orders, 23 families and 56 genera were identified. The order Anseriformes was the most dominant represented by 18.9% of the total identified wetland avian species followed by Charadriiformes (17.72%), Passeriformes (16.45%), Ciconiiformes (15.18%) and Pelecaniformes (5.06%). The order Apodiformes and Podicipediformes were the least represented order (1.26%) with one species each, namely, Swift, Apus apus and Little Grebe, Tachybaptus ruficollis respectively. Out of total 79 wetland avian species, 31 were occasional species, 13 were uncommon species, 12 were abundant species, 11 were common species and 12 were rare species. Based on the frequency of sighting, Pied King Fisher, Ceryle rudis; Chestnut Headed Bee-Eater, Merops leschenaultia; Cotton Pygmy Goose, Nettapus coromandelianus; Eurasian Spoonbill, Platalea leucorodia; Little-ringed Plover, Charadrius dubius; Pheasant-Tailed Jacana, Hydrophasianus chirurgus were rarely sighted wetland species. 1032-1040 | JRB | 2013 | Vol 3 | No 5 This article is governed by the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by/2.0), which gives permission for unrestricted use, non-commercial, distribution and reproduction in all medium, provided the original work is properly cited. www.jresearchbiology.com Journal of Research in Biology An International Scientific Research Journal Authors: Girish Chopra, Anil K. Tyor and Seema Kumari *
Institution: Department of Zoology, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra- 136119, Haryana (India)
Corresponding author: Seema Kumari
Email Id:
Web Address: http://jresearchbiology.com/ documents/RA0370.pdf. Dates: Received: 24 July 2013 Accepted: 30 July 2013 Published: 23 Aug 2013 Journal of Research in Biology An International Scientific Research Journal Original Research INTRODUCTION The wetlands can be defined as transitional lands between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem where the water table is near the surface or land is covered by shallow water (Mitsch and Gosselink, 1986). One of the best functions of wetlands is that these provide the best preferred ground for feeding, breeding, nesting, roosting for birds as well as rearing site for their young ones (Stewart, 2007). According to Vyas, (1992), freshwater wetland alone support 20% of known range of biodiversity in India Therefore, monitoring of these sites provides valuable information about the ecological health and status thereof, which can be a key tool for developing awareness regarding the importance and conservation value of wetlands. wetlands are used by birds for the purpose of feeding, nesting and roosting and these birds are generally classify as water birds or popularly known as waterfowls and waders. According to Kumar et al., (2011), bird groups like kingfishers, raptors and some passerines are also ecologically depend on wetlands, hence known as wetland dependent/ associated birds. These birds are the essential component of wetland ecosystem, as they form important links in the food web and nutrient cycles. From time to time various ornithologists have studied flora and fauna in various wetland ecosystems in protected areas (Saxena, 1975; Hussain et al., 1984; Singh and Roy, 1990; Hosetti et al., 2001; Bhat et al., 2009; Chopra and Sharma, 2012). Sultanpur National Park is one of the famous wetlands in northern India. This national park is considered as a major habitat for the cross boundary migratory birds. Keeping in view of the conservational values of wetland birds, systematic efforts have been made during the present study with an objective to prepare the exhaustive checklist of wetland and wetland dependent/associated birds of Sultanpur National Park.
MATERIALS AND METHODS Sultanpur National Park (2828 N latitude and 76 53 E longitudes) (Fig. 1) is located in a predominantly agricultural landscape with an area of 13,727 ha and includes its core area of 143 ha of low- lying marshes, which were notified as a bird sanctuary Chopra et al., 2013 1033 Journal of Research in Biology (2013) 3(5): 1032-1040 Fig. 1(a) Location of study site within the map of Haryana Fig.1(b) Diagrammatic presentation of Sultanpur National Park by the Haryana State Government in 1971 (Kalpavriksh, 1994). Sultanpur Lake is a seasonal lake with irregular margins and fluctuating water level throughout the year, being maximum water level in rainy season and winters, and nearly dried condition during hot summer season. Periodic fortnightly visits were conducted from February, 2011 to January, 2013 in terrestrial and aquatic habitats in the area in the early morning and later in the evening to record avian species. Line transects method (Sale and Berkmuller, 1988) and point count methods (Blondel, et al., 1981) were used to enumerate the population of birds species. Binoculars (Nikon 750 CF) were used to locate/identify the distant birds, Sony handy cam models DCR-HC-42E and digital camera Nikon L-120 model were used to take photograph of the birds encountered. Later, the wetland populations were identified with the help of different field guides (Ali and Ripley, 1987; Grimmett et al., 1998 and Inskipp et al., 1999). Seasonal variation in avian diversity was recorded in different seasons viz., winter, summer, monsoon and autumn seasons. On the basis of frequency of sighting, the observed birds were segregated following Srinivasulu and Nagulu (2002), as Ab-abundant (encounter rate 95 % to 100 %); Cm- common (encounter rate 65% to 95%); Uc- uncommon (encounter rate 40% to 60%) Oc - occasional (encounter rate 20% to 40%); and Rr- rare (encounter rate less than 20%). Status of the birds were categorized as: RS- resident species (found in the study area throughout the year); WM- winter migrant species (found in the study area only in winter season); LM- local migrant species (found irregularly in study site but resident of India); SM- summer migrant species (found in the study area only during summer season) and SU- status unknown species (not observed in any of the above mentioned categories).
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Besides being ideal indicators of the health of wetland, the wetland birds play a significant role in human lives culturally, socially and scientifically (Stewart, 2007). As a wetland ecosystem, Sultanpur National Park provided varied habitats, including forest patch and low laying marshy areas for nesting and feeding of various types of birds. During the study period of two years from February, 2011 to January, 2013, 79 wetland species belongings to 10 orders, 23 families and 57 genera were reported from Sultanpur National Park (Table 1). These include both water bird species and water associated bird species; former were significantly more than latter. A checklist of the wetland birds observed during the study period along with their conservation status and abundance is represented in Table 1. Earlier studies have also revealed the existence of significant number of wetland avian species in the wetland area of Haryana (Harvey, 2003; Gupta and Kaushik, 2008; Gupta et al., 2011 and Chopra and Sharma, 2012). Harvey (2003) reported a total of 102 wetland avian species which includes 58 species occasional and 44 species of uncommon bird in the wetland of Sultanpur region of Gurgaon district (Haryana). Gupta and Kaushik, (2008) reported a total of 80 wetland avian species belonged to 10 orders and 20 families in northern Haryana. Gupta and Kaushik, (2011) reported 47 species of wetland birds belonging to 9 orders and 13 families in the wetland area of Yamunanagar District (Haryana). Chopra and Sharma, (2012) reported 88 wetland avian species belonging to 17 orders and 32 families in the wetland area of Panchkula district of Haryana. During the present study, out of total reported 79 wetland avian species, 20 (25.3%) were resident species and 59 (74.6%) were migrant species. The migrant species included 11 (14%) local migrants, 43 (55%) winter migrants and only 5(6%) summer migrants Chopra et al., 2013 Journal of Research in Biology (2013) 3(5): 1032-1040 1034
Chopra et al., 2013 1035 Journal of Research in Biology (2013) 3(5): 1032-1040 Order Family Common name Zoological name Status Abundance 1.Podicipediformes Podicipedidae Little Grebe 1.Tachybaptus ruficollis RS Oc 2.Pelecaniformes Phalacrocoracidae Little Cormorant 2.Phalacrocorax niger RS Cm Great Cormorant 3. Phalacrocorax carbo LM Oc Indian Cormorant 4. Phalacrocorax fuscicollis RS Cm Darter 5. Anhinga melanogaster LM Oc 3.Ciconiiformes Ardeidae Grey Heron 6. Ardea cinerea LM Uc Purple Heron 7. Ardea purpurea RS Oc Indian Pond Heron 8. Ardeola grayii RS Ab Great Egret 9. Casmerodius albus LM Oc Little Egret 10. Egretta garzetta LM Uc Cattle Egret 11. Bubulcus ibis RS Ab Intermediate Egret 12. Mesophoyx intermedia LM Oc Ciconiidae Painted Stork Black Necked Stork 13. Mycteria leucocephala 14. Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus RS WM Ab Rr Open Billed Stork 15. Anastomus oscitans LM Uc Threskiornithidae Black headed Ibis 16. Threskiornis melanocephalus WM Oc Eurasian Spoonbill 17. Platalea leucorodia SM Rr 4.Anseriformes Anatidae Greylag Goose 18. Anser anser WM Ab Bar Headed Goose 19. Anser indicus WM Ab Spot Billed Duck 20. Anas poecilorhyncha WM Ab Common Pochard 21. Aythya ferina WM Cm Eurasian Wigeon 22. Anas penelope WM Ab Tufted Pochard 23. Aythya fuligula WM Uc Cotton Pygmy Goose 24. Nettapus coromandelianus WM Rr Ruddy Shelduck 25. Tadorna ferruginea WM Uc Northern Pintail 26. Anas acuta WM Oc Mallard 27. Anas platyrhynchos WM Cm Gadwall 28. Anas strepera WM Cm Northern Shoveler 29. Anas clypeata WM Ab
Lesser Whistling Duck 30.Dendrocygna javanica WM Cm Common Teal 31. Anas crecca WM Cm Garganey 32. Anas querquedula WM Cm 5.Falconiformes Accipitridae Black Kite 33. Milvus migrans LM Oc Black Eagle 34. Ictinaetus malayensis LM Rr Shikra 35. Accipiter badius RS Uc Brahminy Kite 36. Haliastur Indus LM Oc Black winged Kite 37. Elanus caeruleus WM Uc Sparrow Hawk 38. Accipiter nisus WM Oc Pied Harrier 39. Circus melanoleucos LM Oc Table 1: Systematic position, status and abundance of wetland species in Sultanpur National Park Gurgaon, Haryana (India). (Fig 2). The present study revealed that local migrants such as, Great Egret (Casmerodius albus), Open Billed Stork (Anastomus oscitans) and Pacific Reef Egret (Egretta sacra) were observed irregularly from the study site. Maximum numbers of migrant species were reported in the winter season because migratory water birds species like Bar headed Goose (Anser indicus), Grey Leg Goose (Anser anser), Cotton Pygmy Goose Chopra et al., 2013 Journal of Research in Biology (2013) 3(5): 1032-1040 1036 6.Gruiformes Gruidae Sarus Crane 40.Grus antigone RS Oc Rallidae White Breasted Waterhen 41.Amaurornis phoenicurus WM Oc Common Moorhen 42.Gallinula chloropus WM Oc Purple Swamphen 43.Porphyrio porphyrio WM Cm Common Coot 44.Fulica atra WM Ab 7.Charadriiformes Charadriidae Little-ringed Plover 45.Charadrius dubius WM Rr Red-wattled Lapwing 46.Vanellus indicus RS Ab White-tailed Lapwing 47.Vanellus leucurus WM Oc Jacanidae Pheasant-Tailed Jacana 48.Hydrophasianus chirurgus SM Rr Scolopacidae Common Redshank 49.Tringa tetanus WM Uc Spotted Redshank 50.Tringa erythropus WM Uc Common Sandpiper 51.Actitis hypoleucos WM Oc Wood Sandpiper 52.Tringa glareola WM Oc Green Sandpiper 53.Tringa ochropus WM Oc Marsh sandpiper 54.Tringa stagnatilis WM Rr Little Stint 55.Calidris minuta WM Rr Ruff 56.Philomachus pugnax WM Uc Recurvirostridae Black-winged Stilt 57.Himantopus himantopus RS Ab Black-necked Stilt 58.Himantopus mexicanus WM Rr 8.Apodiformes Apodidae Swift 59.Apus apus RS Oc 9.Coraciiformes Alcedinidae White Throated Kingfisher 60.Halcyon smyrnensis RS Cm Pied Kingfisher 61.Ceryle rudis WM Rr Meropidae Green Bee-eater 62.Merops orientalis RS Cm Blue Cheeked Bee-eater 63.Merops persicus R Oc Chestnut Headed Bee-eater 64.Merops leschenaulti SM Rr Coraciidae Indian Roller 65.Coracias benghalensis RS Oc Bucerotidae Indian Grey Hornbill 66.Ocyceros birostris RS Oc 10.Passeriformes Hirundinidae Red Rumped Swallow 67.Hirundo daurica WM Oc Plain Martin 68.Riparia paludicola RS Oc Oriolidae Eurasian Golden Oriole 69.Oriolus oriolus WM Uc Dicruridae Black Drongo 70.Dicrurus macrocercus RS Ab Muscicapidae Hodgson Bush Chat 71.Saxicola insignis WM Oc Orange Headed Thrush 72.Zoothera citrina WM Oc Blue-throat 73.Luscinia svecica WM Oc Rusty-tailed Flycatcher 74.Muscicapa ruficauda SM Uc Red -throated Flycatcher 75.Ficedula parva SM Oc Motacillidae Paddy-field Pipit 76.Anthus rufulus RS Oc White Wagtail 77.Motacilla alba WM Oc Large -pied Wagtail 78.Motacilla maderaspatensis WM Uc Yellow Wagtail 79.Motacilla flava WM Rr RS = Resident species LM = local migrant species SM = summer migrant species WM = winter migrant species Ab = abundant species Oc = occasional species Cm= common species Uc = uncommon species Rr rare species
(Nettapus coromandelianus), Gadwall (Anas strepera) and Eurasian Wigeon (Anas Penelope) visit this place from December to February. Minimum numbers of water bird were observed in the month of May and June. Wetland species adapt differently to different water levels as the food preference of water birds changes with fluctuation in the water level (Mukherjee, 1972). Red Wattled Lapwing (Vanellus indicus) and Black Winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus) (Order- Gruiformes) were observed at variable water levels of the lake but other representatives of this avian order, namely, Spotted Sandpiper (Tringa erythropus), Common Red Shank (Tringa tetanus) and Ruff (Philomachus pugnax) occupied the lake only in shallow regions. Their arrival coincided with the reduction in water level in the lake so that, they could avail the food easily by probing into the mud. Similar observations were made earlier on water birds of Sunderban (Mukherjee, 1972) and Anekere wetland of Karnataka (Bhat et al., 2009). The present study also revealed that Painted Stork (Mycteria leucocephala) (Order- Ciconiformes) was observed throughout of the year even when the water level in the lake was drastically reduced in summer months (May and June), while another representative of this order, i.e., Black neck Stork (Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus) was sighted during the starting of winter season when the water level in the Sultanpur lake was elevated. During the present study among 79 wetland species, 12 (15%) species were abundant, 11(14%) species were common, 31 (39%) species were occasional, 14 (18%) species were uncommon and 11 (14%) species were rare (Fig 3). On the basis of frequency of sighting common wetland species included Little Cormorant (Phalacrocorax niger), Indian Cormorant (Phalacrocorax fuscicollis), Common Pochard (Aythya ferina), Mallard (Anas platyrhyncos), Gadwall, (Anas strepera), Lesser Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna javanica), Common Teal (Anas crecca), Garganey (Anas querquedula), Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio) on the other hand, Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea), Little Egret (Egretta garzetta), Open Billed Stork (Anastomus oscitans), Tufted Pochard (Aythya fuligula), Ruddy Shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea), Common Redshank (Tringa tetanus), Spotted Redshank (Tringa erythropus), Ruff (Philomachus pugnax) were the uncommon wetland birds and Pied King Fisher (Ceryle rudis), Chestnut Headed Bee-Eater (Merops leschenaultia), Cotton Pygmy Goose (Nettapus coromandelianus), Eurasian Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia), Little-ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius), Pheasant-Tailed Jacana (Hydrophasianus chirurgus) were rarely sighted wetland species. Maximum wetland bird species in the study area belonged to order Chopraet al., 2013 1037 Journal of Research in Biology (2013) 3(5): 1032-1040 Fig 2: Percentage composition of residential status of wetland bird species of Sultanpur National Park, Gurgaon (India) Fig 3: Percentage composition of abundance status of wetland bird species of Sultanpur National Park, Gurgaon (India) Anseriformes (15, 18.9%) followed by Charadriiformes (14, 17.72%), Passeriformes (13, 16.45%), Ciconiiformes (12, 15.18%), Falconiformes (7, 8.86%), Gruiiformes (5, 6.32%) and Pelecaniformes (4, 5.06%) while the representative of the order Apodiformes and Podicipediformes were represented by single species, i.e, Swift (Apus apus) and Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis) respectively (Tables 1 and 2). All the 15 members of order Anseriformes belonged to the single family, i.e., Anatidae constituting 18.9% of the total wetland avian species, whereas representative of the order Charadriiformes belonged to 4 families namely, Charadriidae (3), Jacanidae (1), Scolopocidae (8) and Recurvirostridae (2) consitituting 3.79%; 1.26%; 10.12% and 2.53% respectively. The families, Bucerotidae, Coraciidae (Order- Coraciiformes); Oriolidae, Dicruridae (Order- Passeriformes); Apodidae (Order- Apodiformes); Gruidae (Order- Gruiiformes) and Jacanidae (Order- Charadriiformes) were represented by single species (Table-2). In the terrestrial habitats, majority of the reported avian species belonged to order Passeriformes and representative of this order utilize grassland and terrestrial ecosystem for feeding, breeding and roosting purpose (Sundar, 2005; Urfi et al., 2005 Shahabuddin et al., 2006; Sultana et al., 2007; Pande et al., 2007, Chopra et al., 2012). However, during the present study in Sultanpur National Park only 13 wetland avian species, i.e., 16.45% of the total sighted wetland avian fauna represented this order (Table 2). During the present study most of wetland avian species were observed near the submerged vegetation of wetland area and utilized these vegetation for nesting, roosting and feeding ground whereas, Painted Stork (Mycteria leucocephala), Open Billed Stork (Anastomus oscitans) and Black-headed Ibis (Threskiornis melanocephalus) were found to utilize the wetland area for feeding purpose and trees were mainly used for nesting and roosting by these species.
CONCLUSION It is revealed that a total of 79 wetland species were observed which includes 12 species of abundant Journal of Research in Biology (2013) 3(5): 1032-1040 1038 Chopra et al., 2013 Order No. of species (%) Family No. of species (%) 1.Podicipediformes (1) 1.26 % Podicipedidae (1) 1.26 % 2.Pelecaniformes (4 ) 5.06 % Phdlacrocoracidae (4) 5.06 % 3.Ciconiiformes (12) 15.18 % Ardeidae (7) 8.86 % Ciconiidae (3) 3.79 % Threskiornithidae (2) 2.53 % 4.Anseriformes (15) 18.90 % Anatidae (15) 18.90 % 5.Falconiformes (7) 8.86 % Accipitridae (7) 8.86 % 6.Gruiiformes (5) 6.32 % Gruidae (1) 1.26 % Rallidae (4) 5.06 % 7.Charadriiformes (14) 17.72 % Charadriidae (3) 3.79 % Jacanidae (1) 1.26 % Scolopacidae (8) 10.12 % Recurvirostridae (2) 2.53 % 8.Apodiformes (1) 1.26 % Apodidae (1) 1.26 % 9.Coraciiformes (7) 8.86 % Alcedinidae (2) 2.53 % Meropidae (3) 3.79 % Coraciidae (1) 1.26 %
10. Passeriformes
(13) 16.45 % Bucerotidae Hirundinidae (1) 1.26 % (2) 2.53 % Oriolidae (1) 1.26 % Dicruridae (1) 1.26 % Muscicapidae (5) 6.32 % Motacillidae (4) 5.06 % Table 2: Per cent distribution of avian species belonging to different orders and families category, 11 species of common category, 31 species of occasional category, 13 species were of uncommon category with 12 species were rare sighted wetland species. Though, Sultanpur National Park has a rich diversity of flora and fauna and important attracting wetland area for Anseriformes, increased anthropogenic factors such as habitat fragmentation and destruction, tourism pressure and scarcity of water during the summer season impose threats to these avian fauna. Besides, the herds of Nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus), Stray dogs and wild cattle also occasionally trampled the chicks and eggs of water birds in this national park. Successful conservation of the avian species will depend on improved understanding of ecological requirements and number of visitor birds. Further survey and intensive studies in different seasons will be helpful in drafting conservational strategies of the wetland in general and wetland birds in particular.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors are grate full to Wildlife Department Panchkula for giving permission to work in protected area. The corresponding author dully acknowledges UGC fellowship for financial support.
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