Avifaunal Diversity and Abundance in the Mahamaya Hill Dokmoka Karbi Anglong, Assam, India

Author: Das P.

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Abstract

Birds are one of the best-known classes of living organisms; they are important bio indicators of an ecosystem. Assam, being a unit of two biogeographic realm, the Indo Malayan and the Indo-Chinese is immensely rich in avifaunal diversity with more than 800 species and holds 55 Important Bird Areas. This study was undertaken to determine the diversity and abundance of birds in Mahamaya hill, a small hill area in Dokmoka town of Karbi Anglong, Assam. Intensive study was conducted from post winter to early spring i.e. February to April 2023 by line transect method. A total of 51 species of birds belonging to 20 families and 4 orders were recorded. Family Pylloscopidae dominated the area comprising of 12 species, followed by Cisticolidae, CorvidaeAnd Dicruridaewith 4 species in each group. Among all the species recorded, Dicrurus macrocercus has the highest abundance (15.15%), followed by Passer montanus (Eurasian Tree Sparrow) and Acridotheres tristis (common myna) with 14.42% and 8.91% each. Family-wise relative abundance revealed that Dicruridae has the highest relative abundance (24.43%), followed by Passeridae (18.55%) and saturnidae (16.98%). The area sustains a rich and diverse bird population, so improved management of the entire landscape is recommended.

Keywords

realm, bio indicators, zoogeographic, diversity, relative abundance and avifaunal.

Conclusion

A total of 51 bird species, belonging to 20 families and 4 orders, were recorded from Mahamaya Hill, with the Shannon-Wiener Diversity Index calculated at H’ = 3.133509. Family-wise species composition revealed that Phylloscopidae dominated the area with 12 species, followed by Cisticolidae, Corvidae, and Dicruridae, each represented by 4 species. Among all the recorded species, Dicrurus macrocercus common name black drongo showed the highest abundance (15.15%), followed by Passer montanus (Eurasian Tree Sparrow) and Acridotherestristis (Common Myna) with 14.42% and 8.91%respectively. Family-wise relative abundance indicated that Dicruridae had the highest relative abundance (24.43%), followed by Passeridae (18.55%) and Sturnidae (16.98%). All recorded species fall under the Least Concern category of the IUCN Red List for Threatened Species. This indicates that the area supports a rich and diverse bird community, despite not being designated as a protected site by the state government or local authorities. The region has significant potential for avian conservation and bird watching tourism. This high diversity can be attributed to the heterogeneous habitat and the conservation efforts of local communities. The study also found that secondary forests and cultivation sites sustain a good diversity of birds. However, due to time and financial constraints, the distribution of birds across the landscape and their habitat associations were not investigated, highlighting the need for further studies. Improved management of the community-protected site, along with the adjacent secondary forest and cultivation areas, is recommended. Efforts to raise conservation awareness, particularly among hunters in the community, should be enhanced.

References

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How to cite this article

Das P. (2023). Avifaunal Diversity and Abundance in the Mahamaya Hill Dokmoka Karbi Anglong, Assam, India. Biological Forum – An International Journal, 15(6): 983-988