Journal of Threatened Taxa
| www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 February 2018 | 10(2): 11290–11294
Status and conservation issues of wetland birds in Komaranahalli Lake,
Davanagere District, Karnataka, India
M.N. Harisha 1
& B.B. Hosetti 2
1 Post Graduate Department of Wildlife and
Management, 2 Applied Zoology
Kuvempu University, Jnanasahyadri, Shankaraghatta, Shimoga, Karnataka
577451, India
1 harishwild@gmail.com (corresponding
author), 2 hosetti57@gmail.com
doi: http://doi.org/10.11609/jott.2809.10.2.11290-11294| ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:41F54CD9-1A83-40AA-A3FA-E1A3BB11B07A
Editor: S. Balachandran, Bombay Natural Hisotry Society, Mumbai,
India. Date
of publication: 26 February 2018 (online & print)
Manuscript details: Ms # 2809 | Received 23 May 2016 | Final received 30
December 2017 | Finally accepted 27 January 2018
Citation: Harisha, M.N. & B.B. Hosetti
(2018). Status
and conservation issues of wetland birds in Komaranahalli Lake, Davanagere
District, Karnataka, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 10(2): 11290–11294; http://doi.org/10.11609/jott.2809.10.2.11290-11294
Copyright: © Harisha & Hosetti 2018. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
License. JoTT allows unrestricted use of this article in any medium,
reproduction and distribution by providing adequate credit to the authors and
the source of publication.
Funding: None.
Competing interests: The authors declare no competing
interests.
Acknowledgements: The author is thankful to the local people around
Komaranahalli Lake who cooperated in many ways, helping him complete the
fieldwork.
Abstract: This study was carried out to
assess the status and conservation issues of migratory water birds in
Komaranahalli Kere, a lake in Malebennur, Harihar Taluk, Davanagere District
from November 2012 to October 2013. The dominant family was Ardeidae
represented by 10 species, followed by the Scolopacidae with seven species. The families with lowest representations
of one species were Podicipididae, Anhingidae, Rostratulidae and
Recurvirostridae. The study revealed that the lake harbors many resident and a
few migratory bird species. Among the species recorded five species namely the Black-headed
Ibis Threskiornis melanocephalus, Oriental Darter Anhinga
melanogaster, Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa, Painted Stork Mycteria
leucocephala and River Tern Sterna aurantia are Near Threatened. The
present study location is also facing tremendous conservation challenges by the
impact of anthropogenic alteration of the habitats in and around the lake.
Though the lake is highly disturbed, it still provides some potential habitats
for a few migratory and several resident water bird species.
Keywords:
Conservation threats, freshwater birds, Komaranahalli
Lake, migratory birds, status, wetland birds.
India has around 67,429 wetlands, covering an area of about 4.1 million
hectares. Out of these, 2,175 are natural and 65,254 are manmade. Wetlands in India (excluding rivers),
account for 18.4% of the countryÕs geographic area, of which 70% is under paddy
cultivation (MoEF 1990; Parekh & Gadhvi 2013).
The birds inhabiting and/or found to be dependent on wetland directly or
indirectly for feeding, breeding, nesting or roosting are commonly called water
birds or wetland birds (Kumar & Gupta 2013). Selection of wetland by
waterfowl is influenced by complex characteristics including water chemistry,
aquatic vegetation, invertebrate fauna and physical features (Heglund et al.
1994).
Wetlands in India provide a unique habitat to many aquatic flora and
fauna as well as numerous birds including migratory species. Out of 310 species of wetland birds
found in India (Kumar et al. 2005; Kumar & Gupta 2009, 2013) almost half
are migratory which visit India from cold areas of different parts of China,
Russia, central Asia, and from across the entire range of the Himalaya.
Birds play a significant role in many food webs of aquatic system
nutrient cycles. But wetlands are facing tremendous anthropogenic pressure
caused by an increase of human disturbances. Thus these disturbances threaten
these ecosystems and can greatly influence the population structure and
diversity of the bird community (BirdLife International 2003). In the last century, over 50% of
wetlands in the world have been lost, and the remaining wetlands have degraded
to different degrees because of adverse anthropogenic activities (Fraser &
Keddy 2005).
An assessment of abundance and diversity of bird species in any
ecosystem serves as a good indication of the health of the environment in and
around the ecosystem (Jorvinen & Vaisenen 1978; Bowden 1990). Successful
conservation and recovery of water bird species depends on an improved
understanding of the ecological requirements of these birds (Fellowes et al.
2001).
Materials and Methods
Study
Area
The Komaranahalli Lake is located between 14.333611110N
latitude and 75.734722220E longitude. The lake is about 182 acres,
situated adjacent to the famous historical heritage, Helavankatte
Ranganathaswamy Temple and beside the state highway road of Harihar-Shimoga.
The lake is situated 18km away from Harihar and 26km from Davanagere City. This wetland provides water for
irrigation to the surrounding agricultural fields of Komaranahalli Village of
Malebennur grampanchayath of Harihar Taluk, Davanagere District and drinking
water to wildlife from the surrounding Komaranahalli forest as well as to
cattle from the nearby villages.
Methods
The checklist is prepared primarily based on the field work conducted
from November 2012 to October 2013 across Komaranahalli Lake on foot, i.e.,
road side count (Simpson 1949; Burnham et al. 1980). A total of 12 field visits
(1 visit per month) were conducted observing the status and diversity of
birds. Birds were observed from
06:00–11:00 hr and identified using Olympus binoculars (10x50) and field
guides (Ali & Ripley 1983; Grimmett et al. 2001), and were also
given standardized common and scientific names (Praveen et al. 2016). The birds
are grouped under three categories namely LM - Local migrants, WM - Winter
migrants and R- Residents depending on their timing and duration of occurrence
(Table 1).
Results And Discussion
The present study revealed the occurrence of a total of 51 wetland bird
species belonging to 15 families and eight orders from the study area. Details such as common names, scientific
names, frequency and conservation status of the wetland birds are presented in
Table 1. The order Charadriiformes
dominated the list (5 families with 14 species) followed by Ciconiiformes (3
families with 15 species), Pelecaniformes (2 families with 3 species),
Gruiformes (1 family with 6 species), Anseriformes (1 family with 5 species),
Passeriformes (1 family with 4 species), Coraciiformes (1 family with 3
species), and the least was Podicipediformes (1 family with 1 species) (Table
1; Images 1–2).
The family Ardeidae dominated by the representation of 10 species (19%)
followed by Scolopacidae with seven species (13%), Rallidae with six species
(12%), Anatidae with five species (10%), Motacillidae with four species (8%),
Alcedinidae, Charadriidae, Ciconiidae with three species each, (6% each),
Laridae, Threskiornithidae, Phalacrocoracidae with two species each (4% each),
Podicipididae, Anhingidae, Rostratulidae, Recurvirostridae with one species
each (2%) each of the total family wise frequency of occurrence of water birds
community of the study area (Fig. 1).
Among the 51 species, 19 (37%) were residents, 16 species (31.5%) were
winter migrants and 16 species (31.5%) were local migrants (Fig. 2). As per
IUCN Red List (IUCN 2014.3) threatened categories, 46 species recorded from the
study areas fall under the Least Concern (LC) category, which account for 90%
and five species (10%) were categorized as Near Threatened (NT). The five Near Threatened
species—Black-headed Ibis Threskiornis melanocephalus, Oriental
Darter Anhinga melanogaster, Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa,
Painted Stork Mycteria leucocephala and River Tern Sterna aurantia—are
protected under Schedule IV of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 (Arora
2003).
In general, wetland birds are heterogeneous in their feeding habits (Ali
& Ripley 1987). These water birds were found to utilize different wetland
habitats and depend on a mosaic of microhabitats extensively for their
survival. In the present study,
irrigated agricultural fields surrounding the lake with scattered trees
probably provided shelter and suitable foraging grounds, nesting and roosting
on the emergent and fringed vegetation for the wetland birds (Images 1 & 2)
(Kumar & Gupta 2009).
This wetland has been a main source of water for recharging the
surrounding bore wells and agricultural fields around it. During the present
study, most of the migratory species recorded were winter visitors and the
resident birds were observed throughout the year. Most of the winter migrants
exhibited a distinct species-specific pattern of arrival and departure from the
wetland. Every year from October onwards and the middle of November a
significant number of water birds appeared at the wetland and stayed up to the
end of March. The highest species richness and density was recorded during the
winter months, when there are less anthropogenic activities (Images 3 & 4).
The peak population of migratory birds was seen during the month of January and
February (in winter) and almost all of them left the wetland by the end of
March. The basic requirements of the migratory water birds at their wintering sites
are adequate food supply and safety (Lakshmi 2006).
Water birds, being generally at or near the top of most wetland food
chains are highly susceptible to habitat disturbances and are therefore good
indicators of the general condition of wetland habitats (Kushlan 1992; Jayson
& Mathew 2002; Kler 2002).
When compared to other animal population, birds are more responsive to
livestock grazing (Sivaperuman et al. 2005). As this wetland is located
adjacent to the state highway road (Shimoga-Harihar), the movement of heavy
vehicles is one of the main disturbances to the birds (Images 5), also frequent
cleaning of vehicles, cattle bathing and grazing often disturbed the avifauna.
Also, habitat degradation due to encroachment for expansion of agricultural land
for paddy, sugarcane cultivation and areca, coconut plantations, siltation,
lower water retention for a longer period and less availability of abundant
food (Harisha et al. 2011) not only disturbed distribution of the birds but
resulted in a loss of avifaunal diversity of the lake ecosystem (Alexandar
2010).
The present study emphasizes the need for the conservation of wetlands
and their biodiversity and specially the wetland migratory birds. The urgency
is verified due to the international significance of these globally Near
Threatened birds of importance. Hence, small urban wetlands should be also
prioritized for conservation and their values should be recognized for the
protection of avifauna.
Table 1. A systematic list of migratory wetland birds
with their conservation status in Kundavada Lake, Davanagere District,
Karnataka
|
Common name 1 |
Scientific name 2 |
Status
3 |
CS4 (IUCN
2014.3) |
|
Order: Podicipediformes |
|
|
|
|
Family: Podicipididae |
|
|
|
1 |
Little Grebe |
Tachybaptus ruficollis |
LM |
LC |
|
Order: Pelecaniformes |
|
|
|
|
Family: Phalacrocoracidae |
|
|
|
2 |
Little Cormorant |
Microcarbo niger |
LM |
LC |
3 |
Indian Cormorant |
Phalacrocorax fuscicollis |
LM |
LC |
|
Family: Anhingidae |
|
|
|
4 |
Oriental Darter |
Anhinga melanogaster |
LM |
NT |
|
Order: Ciconiiformes |
|
|
|
|
Family: Ardeidae |
|
|
|
5 |
Little Egret |
Egretta garzetta |
R |
LC |
6 |
Cattle Egret |
Bubulcus ibis |
R |
LC |
7 |
Great Egret |
Ardea alba |
R |
LC |
8 |
Intermediate Egret |
Ardea intermedia |
R |
LC |
9 |
Grey Heron |
Ardea cinerea |
WM |
LC |
10 |
Purple Heron |
Ardea purpurea |
LM |
LC |
11 |
Indian Pond Heron |
Ardeola grayii |
R |
LC |
12 |
Striated Heron |
Butorides striata |
LM |
LC |
13 |
Black-crowned Night Heron |
Nycticorax nycticorax |
LM |
LC |
14 |
Cinnamon Bittern |
Ixobrychus cinnamomeus |
LM |
LC |
|
Family: Ciconiidae |
|
|
|
15 |
Wholly-necked Stork |
Ciconia episcopus |
LM |
LC |
16 |
Asian Openbill Stork |
Anastomus oscitanus |
LM |
LC |
17 |
Painted Stork |
Mycteria leucocephala |
R |
NT |
|
Family: Threskiornithidae |
|
|
|
18 |
Black-headed Ibis |
Threskiornis melanocephalus |
R |
NT |
19 |
Indian Black Ibis |
Pseudibis papillosa |
R |
LC |
|
Order: Anseriformes |
|
|
|
|
Family: Anatidae |
|
|
|
20 |
Lesser Whistling Duck |
Dendrocygna javanica |
LM |
LC |
21 |
Indian Spot-billed Duck |
Anas poecilorhyncha |
R |
LC |
22 |
Cotton Teal |
Nettapus coromandelianus |
R |
LC |
23 |
Common Teal |
Anas crecca |
WM |
LC |
24 |
Garganey |
Spatula querquedula |
WM |
LC |
|
Order: Gruiformes |
|
|
|
|
Family: Rallidae |
|
|
|
25 |
White-breasted Waterhen |
Amaurornis phoenicurus |
R |
LC |
26 |
Slaty-legged Crake |
Rallina eurizonoides |
LM |
LC |
27 |
Slaty-breasted Rail |
Lewinia striata |
R |
LC |
28 |
Brown Crake |
Zapornia akool |
R |
LC |
29 |
Common Coot |
Fulica atra |
WM |
LC |
30 |
Common Moorhen |
Gallinula chloropus |
LM |
LC |
|
Order: Charadriiformes |
|
|
|
|
Family: Rostratulidae |
|
|
|
31 |
Greater Painted Snipe |
Rostratula benghalensis |
R |
LC |
|
Family: Charadriidae |
|
|
|
32 |
Little Ringed Plover |
Charadrius dubius |
WM |
LC |
33 |
Yellow-wattled Lapwing |
Vanellus malabaricus |
LM |
LC |
34 |
Red-wattled Lapwing |
Vanellus indicus |
R |
LC |
|
Family: Scolopacidae |
|
|
|
35 |
Black-tailed Godwit |
Limosa limosa |
WM |
NT |
36 |
Common Redshank |
Tringa totanus |
WM |
LC |
37 |
Marsh Sandpiper |
Tringa stagnatilis |
WM |
LC |
38 |
Common Greenshank |
Tringa nebularia |
WM |
LC |
39 |
Common Sandpiper |
Actitis hypoleucos |
WM |
LC |
40 |
Little Stint |
Calidris minuta |
WM |
LC |
41 |
Common Snipe |
Gallinago gallinago |
WM |
LC |
|
Family: Recurvirostridae |
|
|
|
42 |
Black-winged Stilt |
Himantopus himantopus |
LM |
LC |
|
Family: Laridae |
|
|
|
43 |
River Tern |
Sterna aurantia |
LM |
NT |
44 |
Common Tern |
Sterna hirundo |
WM |
LC |
|
Order: Coraciiformes Family: Alcedinidae |
|
|
|
45 |
Common Kingfisher |
Alcedo atthis |
R |
LC |
46 |
Lesser Pied Kingfisher |
Ceryle rudis |
R |
LC |
47 |
White-throated Kingfisher |
Halcyon smyrnensis |
R |
LC |
|
Order: Passeriformes Family: Motacillidae |
|
|
|
48 |
Western Yellow Wagtail |
Motacilla flava |
WM |
LC |
49 |
Grey Wagtail |
Motacilla cinerea |
WM |
LC |
50 |
White-browed Wagtail |
Motacilla maderaspatensis |
R |
LC |
51 |
White Wagtail |
Motacilla alba |
WM |
LC |
1 Common names & 2 Scientific
names after Praveen et al. 2016
S3 Residential status of the birds observed as Resident (R),
Winter Migratory (WM), Local Migratory (LM), and Resident Migratory (RM)
CS4 Conservation status: LC - Least Concern; NT - Near
Threatened
Conclusion
The study proved that the present ecological characteristics of the lake
made the birds unable to inhabit the lake throughout the year. Siltation,
habitat degradation, encroachment in the name of agricultural expansion, noise
pollution and grazing are the major threats to the avifauna. The present
study revealed that, though the lake is highly disturbed it still provides some
potential habitats for a few migratory as well as all residents, including some
threatened species which have a declining population trend by providing food
and space to breed. It is the need of the hour to monitor systematically in the
rapidly changing environment with a focused study on the avifauna of the
region. This can be achieved only through strengthening public participation in
the study of status, distribution and conservation of birds of Komaranahalli
Lake, Davanagere District, Karnataka.
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