The birds of Araku, Visakhapatnam,
Andhra Pradesh, India
T.Selva Kumar 1, RachnaChandra 2 & P.A. Azeez 1
1,2 Environmental
Impact Assessment Division, Sálim Ali Centre for
Ornithology and Natural History (SACON), Anaikatty (PO),
Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641108, India
Email: 1 selvakt@gmail.com, 2 rachnaeia@gmail.com (corresponding
author), 1 azeezpa@gmail.com
Date
of publication (online): 26 January 2010
Date of
publication (print): 26 January 2010
ISSN 0974-7907
(online) | 0974-7893 (print)
Editor: J. Praveen
Manuscript
details:
Ms # o2108
Received 16
December 2008
Final received
28 September 2009
Finally accepted
01 December 2009
Citation: Kumar, T.S., R.
Chandra & P.A. Azeez (2010). The
birds of Araku, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 2(1): 662-665.
Copyright: © T. Selva Kumar, Rachna Chandra &
P.A. Azeez 2010. Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. JoTT allows unrestricted
use of this article in any medium for non-profit purposes, reproduction and
distribution by providing adequate credit to the authors and the source of
publication.
Acknowledgments:The authors are thankful to the locals of the region for their
assistance during the field surveys. We
are also grateful to Mr. S. Kaliraj, for his help and
co-operation. We also thank our colleagues for support.
For Figure and Tables – click
here
Documentation of the avifauna in Andhra Pradesh has been undertaken by
several authors since early 20th century by the likes of Whistler & Kinnear (1930-37), Abdulali(1945, 1953), Raju & Price (1973), Price (1978,
1979, 1990), Ripley et al. (1987-88), and Srinivasulu(2004, 2006). Some of the notable works
that covered the distribution, status and habitat of birds in the Visakhapatnam
Hills were that of Raju & Selvin(1971) and Raju & Price (1973). In 1944, Abdulali (1945)
collated a list of the ‘Birds of Vizagapatam’ that included 277 species from Anantagiri, Sankrametta and Lammasinghi. Ripley
et al. (1987-88) in an extensive survey covering Lammasinghi,Valaspara, Sapparla, Bhadrachalam, Pedevalasa, Joythimamidi, Wangasara, Iankapakalu and Anantagirireported 160 species of birds. However,
detailed surveys on the avifauna of Araku Valley
appear scarce. In recent years some of
the hill ranges of this area and their neighbourhoodshave been identified as potential sites for mining bauxite. In view of habitat degradation that is likely
to happen with mining activities, it was felt vital to acquire baseline data on
the biodiversity of the region; an attempt is made here to compile and
categorize the avifauna of Araku hills and valley
based on field surveys from December 2006 to September 2007.
Materials
and Methods
Araku Valley (Fig.
1) forms an integral part of Ananthagiri Hills of the
Eastern Ghats in Visakhapatnam District of Andhra Pradesh. The Araku Valley
(18012’34”-18025’12”N & 82051’40”-83006’53”E), spread over an area of
36km2, is characterized by undulating terrain, valleys and plateaus at the
hilltops. The area has huge deposits of
bauxite mostly on the hilltops (Chandra et al. 2007; Azeezet al. 2008) predominantly covered with lateritic soil (bauxite capping over khondalite). The
vegetation in the area is of moist mixed deciduous forest and dry savannah
forest types intermingled with scrub (Champion & Seth 1968). Apparently, forests in most of the area are
secondary in nature, due to the extensive shifting or slash and burn
cultivation (podu) that is in practice in the
area since long. The altitude of the
area ranges from 600-1600 m and the climate is very cold during winter
(November to January) and warm during summer (March to May) with temperature
varying from 100C to 37.80C. The annual
rainfall in Araku Valley ranges between 800-1000 mm
in the plains and 1000-2000 mm in the hills. The Araku Valley mandalhas a total of 11,608 households with a rural population of 49,619 and 6,340
urban. The rural population of Araku comprises mainly of indigenous tribes such as Bhagata, Khond, Konda Reddi, Samantha and other
communities which come under Schedule V of Scheduled Tribes and other
Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Rules 2007. They
largely depend on local forest and natural resources for livelihood. Phoenix sp. dominating the hill-top
vegetation is extensively used for several purposes by the locals. Several other plants in the area are
important for the tribes and are exploited for timber, tubers, fodder and
fuel-wood. Hunting for small forest
animals and birds is a traditional custom among the indigenous people and
probably a means of supplementary animal protein.
Birds were recorded by both direct sighting and calls. Field surveys were carried out during
December 2006 to September 2007 by systematically walking along transects laid
appropriately to representatively cut through the study area. The variable
width line-transect method (Bibby et al. 1993) was
adopted for the survey. In the three
major hillocks (Raktakonda, Galikondaand Chittamgondi) identified for bauxite mining,
eight variable width line-transects each of one kilometer length were laid in
each site. Transects traversed
agriculture land, silver oak plantation, scrub jungle, well wooded forest and Phoenixdominated plateaus. Opportunistic
surveys in the nearby villages, valleys and plains were also done to document a
comprehensive checklist of birds of the area. The birds sighted during the period were grouped into breeding birds or
residents (B), local migrants (LM), and migrants (M). These categorizations were done largely based
on Ali & Ripley (1983), Ali & Ripley (1969) and Grimmettet al. (1999).
Results
A total
of 147 species of birds falling within 105 genera and 43 families were recorded
during the study (Table 1). The birds inAraku Valley include four globally threatened species
(BirdLife International 2001), namely - the Purple
Wood-Pigeon Columba punicea, Greater Spotted
Eagle Aquila clanga, Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni and
Pallid Harrier Circus macrourus (Table
2). Eleven species of owls were recorded
from the area, of which four species built nest in scrub jungle. The 11 owl
species have been recorded from the area by the earlier researches. The frequently sighted bird families and
subfamilies were Pycnonotidae (bulbuls), Sylviinae (warblers), Muscicapidae(flycatchers) and Turdinae (babblers). Speckled Piculet Picumnus innominatus,Rufous Woodpecker Celeus brachyurus, Brown-headed Barbet Megalaima zeylanica, Common
Hoopoe Upupa epops,
Plain Prinia Prinia inornata and White-rumped Shama Copsychus malabaricus were commonly nesting in the scrub jungle
and wooded forests. As many as 112 species
of birds in Araku Valley are resident breeders, 23
species winter visitors, 09 species local migrants, two species passage
migrants and one species (Small Bee-eater Merops orientalis) was summer visitor. Most of the bird species use more than one habitat
for their activities such as nesting, roosting and foraging. Fifty-five species were sighted in the
agriculture mixed urban area, 54 species in plantation, 114 species in scrub
jungle, 63 species in well wooded forest and 31 species in the Phoenixdominated areas. However, these habitats
were not exclusive to the species.
Discussion
and Conclusions
The animal diversity of the Araku Valley region
is facing serious threats due to habitat loss and habitat degradation. Three
mammalian species: Leopard Panthera pardus, Sloth Bear Melursus ursinus and Indian Giant Squirrel Ratufa indica under
Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act (1972) inhabit the area. Poducultivation, fuel wood collection, customary hunting, forest fire and cutting
trees are amongst threats from the locals. However, mining is a much more serious issue. Activities including opencast mining that
adversely affect the ecosystem are likely to negatively impact the avifauna of
the region. Large scale mining for
bauxite is proposed almost all along the Eastern Ghats by various
organizations. Vehement protests by the
locals are also on against many such projects. Hunting, shifting cultivation, pastoralism,
and settled cultivation are common practices among the indigenous people of the
Eastern Ghats in deriving livelihood from the local environment. Earlier the people here followed a shifting
cultivation system with a longer cycle, leaving the land untouched and fallow
for longer periods to recoup. But with
gradual increase in population, poducultivation with shorter cycles has led to drastic loss of natural resources,
causing serious erosion of the surface soil, particularly in the slopes,
repeated with short-period cycles, the podu cultivation has serious long-standing impacts. As a common ritual during April, the whole Araku Valley tribes celebrate hunting festival, during
which many species are hunted.
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