An important bird and biodiversity area (IBA), the Dighal Wetlands of Haryana, India, sustains a rich variety of wetland avifauna especially during the winter migration. This chapter discusses a wide-range of two-year study that dealt with the avian diversity and season variations as well as feeding habits in the wetlands. The research recorded a total number of 90 bird species in wetlands that existed in 62 genera, 23 families, and 12 orders. A total of over 61 percent species identified was represented with the Charadriiformes, Anseriformes and Pelecaniformes orders. Anatidae family turned out to be the most diversified including 19 species highlighting the open water habitat conditions in the wetlands. Most of the wetland bird community was a blend of migratory birds, 62.2% of all the recorded species in the wetland were winter migrants. It implies that the Dighal Wetlands play an important role for stopover and spending winter by the birds migrating through the Central Asian Flyway. Bar-headed Goose (Anser indicus), Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata), and Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) were the common species, while Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) and Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) were seen occasionally. Of the recorded species, 23 percent were rare not only some of them required a specific habitat and were thus of conservation concern. Wetland bird community consisted mainly of carnivorous birds, then came the omnivorous, insectivorous, and herbivorous. Foraging methods used were also documented such as grazing, surface feeding, upending, diving and tactile methods such as scything and foot trembling. These feeding patterns had a close correlation with the characteristics of the habitat, characteristics such as depth, vegetation cover, and prey abundance. Even though the Dighal Wetlands have ecological importance, the anthropogenic activities which are posing a threat are overfishing, pollution, growth and spread of invasive weeds, habitat fragmentation and new infrastructures. This paper highlights an urgent need to establish overall management strategies to control water level, reduce pollution, promote sustainable resource exploitation, and engage local communities in conservation efforts. This is necessary to safeguard ecological integrity of this important wetland. Thus, Dighal Wetlands represent an vital habitat of migrating and resident wetland birds, and offer valuable insights concerning biodiversity protection and ecosystem services in a changing environment.

错误:搜索内容不能为空,请输入英文关键词
错误:关键词超出字数限制,请精简
高级检索

Assessing Wetland Bird Diversity and Conservation in Dighal Wetlands (IBA Site), Haryana, India: Ecological Insights and Implications

  • Parul,
  • Parmesh Kumar,
  • Mayur Mukut Murlidhar Sharma

摘要

An important bird and biodiversity area (IBA), the Dighal Wetlands of Haryana, India, sustains a rich variety of wetland avifauna especially during the winter migration. This chapter discusses a wide-range of two-year study that dealt with the avian diversity and season variations as well as feeding habits in the wetlands. The research recorded a total number of 90 bird species in wetlands that existed in 62 genera, 23 families, and 12 orders. A total of over 61 percent species identified was represented with the Charadriiformes, Anseriformes and Pelecaniformes orders. Anatidae family turned out to be the most diversified including 19 species highlighting the open water habitat conditions in the wetlands. Most of the wetland bird community was a blend of migratory birds, 62.2% of all the recorded species in the wetland were winter migrants. It implies that the Dighal Wetlands play an important role for stopover and spending winter by the birds migrating through the Central Asian Flyway. Bar-headed Goose (Anser indicus), Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata), and Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) were the common species, while Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) and Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) were seen occasionally. Of the recorded species, 23 percent were rare not only some of them required a specific habitat and were thus of conservation concern. Wetland bird community consisted mainly of carnivorous birds, then came the omnivorous, insectivorous, and herbivorous. Foraging methods used were also documented such as grazing, surface feeding, upending, diving and tactile methods such as scything and foot trembling. These feeding patterns had a close correlation with the characteristics of the habitat, characteristics such as depth, vegetation cover, and prey abundance. Even though the Dighal Wetlands have ecological importance, the anthropogenic activities which are posing a threat are overfishing, pollution, growth and spread of invasive weeds, habitat fragmentation and new infrastructures. This paper highlights an urgent need to establish overall management strategies to control water level, reduce pollution, promote sustainable resource exploitation, and engage local communities in conservation efforts. This is necessary to safeguard ecological integrity of this important wetland. Thus, Dighal Wetlands represent an vital habitat of migrating and resident wetland birds, and offer valuable insights concerning biodiversity protection and ecosystem services in a changing environment.