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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