On the high bird diversity in the non-protected regions of Trashiyangtse District in Bhutan
Main Article Content
Abstract
Birds are ecological indicators of ecosystem health. Baseline information on bird diversity are, therefore, important for ecological monitoring. Such information is, however, sorely lacking for many areas outside the protected areas. Here, we explore the avian diversity and present a comprehensive checklist for the non-protected regions of Trashiyangtse District in northeastern Bhutan. We also categorise the bird species by their residency pattern, feeding guilds, abundance, and IUCN Red List status. We conducted an avifauna exploration for a period of four years from 2017 to 2020, mostly through opportunistic encounters coinciding with regular field visits. We recorded a total of 273 bird species belonging to 173 genera, 69 families and 19 orders. Passeriformes was the most dominant order with 41 families and 174 species and Muscicapidae was the most dominant family with 12 genera and 32 species. Most birds were altitudinal migrants (39%), insectivorous (45%), and occasional (44%) in terms of residency pattern, feeding guild, and abundance, respectively. Only one species (Ardea insignis) was listed as Critically Endangered and one (Haliaeetus leucoryphus) as Endangered. Our study identified the non-protected regions of Trashiyangtse District as an important bird diversity area in Bhutan.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors own the copyright to the articles published in JoTT. This is indicated explicitly in each publication. The authors grant permission to the publisher Wildlife Information Liaison Development (WILD) Society to publish the article in the Journal of Threatened Taxa. The authors recognize WILD as the original publisher, and to sell hard copies of the Journal and article to any buyer. JoTT is registered under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY), which allows authors to retain copyright ownership. Under this license the authors allow anyone to download, cite, use the data, modify, reprint, copy and distribute provided the authors and source of publication are credited through appropriate citations (e.g., Son et al. (2016). Bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) of the southeastern Truong Son Mountains, Quang Ngai Province, Vietnam. Journal of Threatened Taxa 8(7): 8953–8969. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.2785.8.7.8953-8969). Users of the data do not require specific permission from the authors or the publisher.
References
Ali, S., B. Biswa & S.D. Ripley (1996). Birds of Bhutan, Records of Zoological Survey India. Occasional Paper No. 136: 1–207.
Banerjee, B. & R. Bandopadhyay (2016). Biodiversity hotspot of Bhutan and its sustainability. Current Science 4(110): 521–527. https://doi.org/10.18520/cs/v110/i4/521-527
Bishop, K.D. (1999). Preliminary notes on some birds in Bhutan. Forktail 15: 87–91.
BWS (2018). Field research report: Studies performed to explore and document facts for wildlife conservation. Department of Forest and Park Services, MoAF, 191pp.
CITES (2019). Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Retrieved from http://www.cites. Org. (Accessed on 31.8.2020).
CMS (2019). Central Asian Flyway. Available at: https://www.cms.int/en/legalinstrument/ central-asian-flyway.
Dendup, P., S. Dorji, R. Dorji, L. Wangdi, T. Wangchuk, P. Dorji & P. Kuenzang (2020). Birds of Jigme Dorji National Park: A Photographic field guide for the park visitors. Department of Forest and Park Services of Bhutan, 233pp.
Daniels, D. (2020). Birds of the world: An online bird book. Retrieved from http://carolinabirds.org/index.html (Accessed on 18.10.2020).
DoFPS (2020). Biodiversity Monitoring and Social Surveying Protocol of Bhutan. Department of Forests and Park Services, Ministry of Agriculture and Forests, Thimphu, Bhutan, 206pp.
Feijen, C. & H.R. Feijen (2008). A review of the breeding birds of Bhutan. Forktail 24: 1–24.
FRMD (2017). Land use and land cover of Bhutan 2016: Maps and statistics. Department of Forest and Park Services, Thimphu, Bhutan, 51pp.
Grimmett, R., C. Inskipp, T. Inskipp & Sherub (2019). Birds of Bhutan and the Eastern Himalayas. Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. London.
Grimmett, R., C. Inskipp & T. Inskipp (2011). Birds of the Indian Subcontinent. 2nd Edition. Oxford University Press & Christopher Helm., London, 528pp.
Gyeltshen, P., C. Norbu & K. Rinchen (2020). Avifauna found in the State Reserved Forest Land of Trongsa district, Bhutan. Bhutan Journal of Natural Resources & Development 7(1): 55–72. https://doi.org/10.17102/cnr.2020.46
Inskipp, C., T. Inskipp & Sherub (2000). The ornithological importance of Thrumshingla National Park, Bhutan. Forktail 16: 147–162.
IUCN (2020). The International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2020-2. http://www.iucnredlist.org. (Accessed on 09.7.2020).
James, A.O., D. Emmanuel & A.Y. Bright (2017). Diversity and abundance of bird species in Mole National Park, Damongo, Ghana. Journal of Natural Science Research 7(12): 22–33.
Kandel, P., I. Thapa, N. Chettri, R. Pradhan & E. Sharma (2018). Birds of the Kangchengjunga Landscape, the Eastern Himalaya: status, threats and implications for conservation. Avian Research 9(9): 1–13; https://doi.org/10.1186/s40657-018-0100-2
Kiros, S., B. Afework & K. Legese (2018). A preliminary study on bird diversity and abundance from Wabe fragmented forests around Gubre subcity and Wolkite town, South western Ethiopia. International Journal of Avian & Wildlife Biology 2018: 3(5): 333‒340. https://doi.org/10.15406/ijawb.2018.03.00116
Koli, V.K. (2014). Diversity and status of avifauna in Todgarh-Raoli Wildlife Sanctuary, Rajasthan, India. Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity 7(2014): 401–407. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.japb.2014.10.005
Koirala, B.K., K. Jamtsho, P. Wangdi, D. Tshering, L. Norbu, S. Phuntsho, S. Lhendup & T. Nidup (2021). Diversity and distribution of snakes in Trashigang Territorial Forest Division, eastern Bhutan. Journal of Threatened Taxa 13(1): 17455–17469. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.6835.13.1.17455-17469
Kshettry, A., S. Vaidyanathan, R. Sukumar & V. Athreya (2020). Looking beyond protected areas: Identifying conservation compatible landscapes in agro-forest mosaics in north-eastern India. Global ecology and conservation 22(2020): 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e00905
Kullberg, P., E.D. Minin & A. Moilanen (2019). Using key biodiversity areas to guide effective expansion of the global protected area network. Global ecology and conservation 20(2020): 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2019.e00768
Kumar, P. & A. Sharma (2018). Diversity and status of avifauna in man-made sacred ponds of Kurukshetra, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 10(9): 12173–12193. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.3729.10.9.12173-12193
Lepage, D. (2020). Checklist of the birds of Tashi Yangtse. Avibase, the world bird database. Retrieved from https://avibase.bsceoc.org/checklist.jsp?lang= EN & region =btty&list= clements & format=2 (Accessed on 23.8.2020).
Mukhopadhyay, S & S. Mazumdar (2017). Composition, diversity and foraging guilds of avifauna in a suburban area of southern west Bengal, India. The Ring 39(1): 102–120. https://doi.org/10.1515/ring-2017-0004
Norbu, L., P. Thinley, Phurpa, U. Dechen & P. Tshering (2019). Diversity and seasonal abundance of small mammals in Bumdeling Ramsar Site, Trashiyangtse, Eastern Bhutan. Journal of Biodiversity and Environmental Science 15(3): 36–45.
Nyffeler, M., C.H. Sekerciogly & C.J. Whelan (2018). Insectivorous birds consume an estimated 400-500 million tons of prey annually. The Science of Nature 105(47). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-018-1571-z
Pasang (2018). Diversity and Waterbirds along Bindu river of Trashi Chhoeling (Samtse), Bhutan. Journal of the Bhutan Ecological Society 3: 45–55.
Phuntsho (2020). Birds of Bhutan Journal, iNaturalist. Retrieved from http://www.inaturalist.org/projects/birds-of-bhutan (Accessed on 31.8.2020).
Praveen, J., R. Jayapal & A. Pittie (2020). Taxonomic updates to the checklists of birds of India, and the south Asian region-2020. Indian Birds 16(1): 12–19.
Praveen, J., R. Jayapal & A. Pittie (2016). A checklist of the birds of India. Indian Birds 11(5&6): 113–172.
RGoB (2017). Forest and Nature Conservation Rules and Regulations of Bhutan 2017. 4th Edition. Department of Forest and Park Services, Ministry of Agriculture and Forest, Thimphu, Bhutan, 165pp.
RGoB (1995). Forest and Nature Conservation Act 1995. Department of Forest and Park Services, Ministry of Agriculture and Forest, Thimphu, Bhutan, 21pp.
Sharma, N., S.K. Rana, P. Raina, R. Amir & M.A. Kichloo (2018). An annotated checklist of the birds of upper Chenab catchment, Jammu & Kashmir, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 10(7): 11869–11894; http://doi.org/10.11609/jott.3464.10.7.11869-11894
Singh, J., S. Antil, V. Goyal & V. Malik (2020). Avifaunal diversity of Tilyar Lake, Rohtak, Haryana, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 12(8): 15909–15915. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.4700.12.8.15909-15915
Stattersfield, A.J., M.J. Crosby, A.J. Long & D.C. Wege (1998). Endemic Bird Areas of The World: Priorities for Biodiversity Conservation. Cambridge: BirdLife International.
Thinley, P., T. Dendup, R. Rajaratnam, K. Vernes, K. Tempa, T. Chophel & L. Norbu (2020). Tiger reappearance in Bhutan’s Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary: a case for maintaining effective corridors and metapopulation. Animal Conservation 23(6): 629–631. https://doi.org/10.1111/acv.12580
Thinley, P., R. Rajaratnam, L. Norbu, L, Dorji, J. Tenzin, C. Namgyal, C. Yangzom, T. Wangchuk, S. Wangdi, T. Dendup, S. Tashi & C. Wangmo (2021). Understanding human-canid conflict and coexistence: socioeconomic correlates underlying local attitude and support towards the endangered Dhole (Cuon alpinus) in Bhutan. Front. Conservation Science 2: 691507. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcosc.2021.691507
Tobgyal, S. (2016). Bird diversity and distribution along the Sunkosh river, Tsirang and Dagana District in Southern Bhutan. BSc Thesis. Royal University of Bhutan, Bhutan, 47pp.
Wangyel, S., K. Dorjee & T. Wangdi (2018). Birds of Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary. Department of Forest and Park Services of Bhutan, 148pp.