Avifaunal Composition and Threats to Birds in Gauri Shankar Conservation Area, Nepal
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3126/njes.v12i2.70849Keywords:
Avifauna, Beyul culture, conservation area, diversity, point count, threatsAbstract
892 avian species make Nepal stand out in the world, and the Himalayas of Nepal are also bird-rich areas. This study assessed the composition of birds in the Gaurishankar Conservation Area (GCA) in 2019, 2020, and 2021, following the fixed-radius (25m) point count method with opportunistic observations. This study recorded 108 bird species belonging to 36 families. Muscicapidae was the most diverse avian family in the study area (RDi value=15.74). 98 species were resident, four were winter visitors, two were summer visitors, and four were altitudinal migrants. Most species were insectivorous (66.67%), granivorous (19.44%), followed by carnivorous (7.14%), omnivorous (4.63%), and nectarivores (1.85%). One critically endangered and three near-threatened species were also observed. ‘Beyul’ culture is practiced by the locals (particularly the Buddhists) of GCA and helps to the protection of biodiversity including birds. However, the ongoing road and hydropower construction might put birds and other biodiversity at stake.
Downloads
References
Alho, C.J.R. (2020). Hydropower dams and reservoirs and their impacts on Brazil’s biodiversity and natural habitats: A Review. World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews. doi 10.30574/wjarr.2020.6.3.0197.
Bajracharya, S.B., Basnet, G., Kharel, F., Shah, K.B., Baral, H.S., & Charmakar, R. (2011). Gaurishankar Conservation Area; A Treasure House of Himalayan Biodiversity. National Trust for Nature Conservation. Lalitpur, Nepal.
Basaula, R., Singh, O.P., & Dahal, B.R. (2023) Abundance and diversity of waterbirds around the Begnas Lake of Pokhara Valley, Nepal. Global Journal of Ecology, 8(1), 11-18. doi 10.17352/gje.000076.
BCN, & DNPWC. (2022). Birds of Nepal: An official checklist. Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation and Bird Conservation Kathmandu, Nepal.
Bellard, C., Cassey, P., & Blackburn, T.M. (2016). Alien species as a driver of recent extinctions. Biology Letters, 12(2), doi 10.1098/rsbl.2015.0623.
Bibby, C.J., Burgess, N.D., Hill, D.A., & Mustoe, S.H. (2000). Bird census techniques. Academic Press.
BirdLife International. (2022). State of the World’s Birds 2022 Insights and solutions for the biodiversity crisis. BirdLife International, UK, Cambridge.
Callaghan, C.T., Nakagawa, S., & Cornwell, W.K. (2021a). Global abundance estimates for 9,700 bird species. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 118(21), e2023170118. doi 10.1073/pnas.2023170118.
Callaghan, C.T., Poore, A.G.B., Hofmann, M., Roberts, C.J., & Pereira, H.M. (2021b). Large-bodied birds are over-represented in unstructured citizen science data. Scientific Reports, 11, 19073. doi 10.1038/s41598-021-98584-7.
Chetri M., Regmi, P.R., Dahal, T.P., & Thami S. (2021). A checklist of mammals of Gaurishankar Conservation Area, Nepal. Nepalese Journal of Zoology, 6(S1), 56-62. doi 10.3126/njz.v6iS1.50533.
Dhakal, H., Ghimire, M., Poudel, A.K., Ghimire, P., & Bhusal, K.P. (2020). Avian diversity of Khaste Lake Complex, Pokhara Valley, Nepal. Minivet 3, 17-25.
Ericson, P.G.P., Irestedt, M., & Johansson, U.S. (2003). Evolution, biogeography, and patterns of diversification in passerine birds. Journal of Avian Biology, 34(1), 3-15. doi 10.1034/j.1600-048x.2003.03121.x.
Gaurishankar Conservation Area. (2013). Gaurishankar Conservation Area Management Plan (2013-2017). National Trust for Nature Conservation, p 166.
Gosai, K.R., & Goodale, E. (2021). The composition of mixed-species flocks of birds in and around Chitwan National Park, Nepal. Avian Research, 12, 1-9.
Gregory R.D., Noble D., Field R., Marchant J., Raven M., & Gibbons D.W. (2003). Using birds as indicators of biodiversity. Ornis Hungarica. 12-13, 11–24.
Grima, Z., Mengesha, G., & Asfaw, T. (2016). Diversity, relative abundance and distribution of avian fauna in and around Wondo Genet Forest, South-central Ethiopia. Research Journal of Forestry, 11, 1-12. doi 10.3923/rjf.2017.1.12
Grimmett, R., Inskipp, C., & Inskipp, T. (2000). Birds of Nepal, Helm Field Guide. Prakash Books, New Delhi.
Hamal, S., Sharma, H.P., Gautam, R. & Katuwal, H.B. (2023). Drivers of power line collisions and electrocutions of birds in Nepal. Ecology and Evolution, 13(5), e10080. doi 10.1002/ece3.10080.
Inskipp, C., Baral, H.S., Phuyal, S., Bhatt, T.R., Khatiwada, M., Inskipp, T, Khatiwada, A., Gurung, S., Singh, P.B., Murray L., Poudyal L., & Amin R. (2016). The status of Nepal's Birds: The national red list series. Zoological Society of London, UK.
Inskipp, C., Baral H.S., Inskipp, T., Khatiwada, A.P., Khatiwada, M.P., Poudyal, L., & Amin, R. (2017). Nepal's National Red List of Birds. Journal of Threatened Taxa, 9(1), 9700-9722. doi 10.11609/jot.2855.9.1.9700-9722.
Kandel, P., Thapa, I., Chettri, N., Pradhan, R., & Sharma, E. (2018). Birds of the Kangchenjunga Landscape, the Eastern Himalaya: status, threats and implications for conservation. Avian Research, 9, 9. doi 10.1186/s40657-018-0100-2.
Koju, N.P., Gosai, K.R., Bashyal, B., Byanju, R., Shrestha, A., Buzzard, P., ... & Khanal, L. (2023). Seasonal Prey Abundance and Food Plasticity of the Vulnerable Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia) in the Lapchi Valley, Nepal Himalayas. Animals, 13(20), 3182.
Lamichhane, S., Lamichhane, B.R., Pokharel, K., Regmi, P.R., Dahal, T.P., Bhattarai, S., Pokheral, C.P., Gotame, P., Rayamajhi, T., Kandel, R.C. & Gurung, A. (2021). Birds of Barandabhar Corridor Forest, Chitwan, Nepal. Journal of Threatened Taxa, 13(11), 19509-19526. doi 10.11609/jott.6614.13.11.19509-19526.
La Torre-Cuadros, M.D.L.Á., Herrando-Pérez, S. & Young, K.R. (2007). Diversity and structural patterns for tropical montane and premontane forests of central Peru, with an assessment of the use of higher-taxon surrogacy. Biodiversity and Conservation, 16(10), 2965-2988. doi 10.1007/s10531-007-9155-9.
National Trust for Nature Conservation. (2024). Gaurishankar Conservation Area Project. National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC).
Ollerton, J., Koju, N.P., Maharjan, S.R., & Bashyal, B. (2020). Interactions between birds and flowers of Rhododendron spp., and their implications for mountain communities in Nepal. Plants, People, Planet, 2(4), 320-325. doi 10.1002/PPP3.10091.
Pakkala, T., Lindén, A., Tiainen, J., Tomppo, E., & Kouki, J. (2014). Indicators of forest biodiversity: Which bird species predict high breeding bird assemblage diversity in boreal forests at multiple spatial scales? Annales Zoologici Fennici, 51(5), 457-476. doi 10.5735/086.051.0501.
Reynaud, P.A., & Thioulouse, J. (2000). Identification of birds as biological markers along a neotropical urban-rural gradient (Cayenne, French Guiana), using co-inertia analysis. Journal of Environmental Management, 59(2), 121-140. doi 10.1006/jema.2000.0338.
Sacherer, J. (2011). Rolwaling: A Sacred Buddhist Valley in Nepal. In Singh, R.P. (Ed.), Sacred scapes and pilgrimage systems. Shubhi Publications, New Delhi.
Sangster, G., Alström, P., Forsmark, E., & Olsson, U. (2010). Multi-locus phylogenetic analysis of Old-World chats and flycatchers reveals extensive paraphyly at family, subfamily, and genus level (Aves: Muscicapidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 57(1), 380-392. doi 10.1016/j.ympev.2010.07.008.
Selvatti, A.P., Gonzaga, L.P., & de Moraes Russo, C.A. (2015). A Paleogene origin for crown passerines and the diversification of the Oscines in the New World. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 88, 1-15. doi 10.1016/J.YMPEV.2015.03.018.
Sutherland W.J. 2006. Ecological Census Techniques a handbook. Cambridge University Press, New York.
WWF Nepal. (2012). Socio-Economic Baseline Survey for REDD+ Readiness in the Sacred Himalayan Landscape, Nepal.
Zhao, M., Burleigh, J.G., Olsson, U., Alström, P., & Kimball, R.T. (2023). A near-complete and time-calibrated phylogeny of the Old-World flycatchers, robins and chats (Aves, Muscicapidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 178, 107646. doi 10.1016/j.ympev.2022.10764.
Downloads
Additional Files
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Central Department of Environmental Science, Tribhuvan University
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.
