Status of waterbirds at Hathnikund Barrage wetland, Yamunanagar District, Haryana, India

The present study on status of waterbirds of Hathnikund Barrage wetland was undertaken while conducting ‘General Faunistic Surveys’ of Kalesar National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary under primary objectives of the Zoological Survey of India, Dehra Dun. This wetland is a small area of about 1km2 in Yamunanagar District of Haryana. The barrage was constructed from October 1996 to June 1999 and came into being in the year 1999 under the West Jamuna Canal Project to substitute Tajewala water-head (constructed way back in 1873 and has now become non-functional) primarily for irrigation and power generation for Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. It is adjacent to the national park and is practically inseparable. Geographically, the wetland is located at 30019.290’N & 77002.579’E at an elevation of c. 310m. Fishing activities are not allowed in the barrage. Kalsi (1998) was, perhaps, the first to provide a list of 161 species of birds from the Kalesar Sanctuary, while Sharma (2006) made available an updated and an unannotated checklist of 304 species on the internet. To this checklist, Bahuguna et al. (2008) added five species of waterbirds. The present communication adds another five waterbird species. However, these studies did not deal with the status of waterbirds of Hathnikund, though a few studies on the status and diversity of waterbirds of two other man-made wetlands (Asan and Bheemgoda barrage wetlands) from the nearby areas are available (Tak et al. 1998; Kumar & Bhatt 2000; Tak & Sati 2003).

The present study on status of waterbirds of Hathnikund Barrage wetland was undertaken while conducting 'General Faunistic Surveys' of Kalesar National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary under primary objectives of the Zoological Survey of India, Dehra Dun. This wetland is a small area of about 1km 2 in Yamunanagar District of Haryana. The barrage was constructed from October 1996 to June 1999 and came into being in the year 1999 under the West Jamuna Canal Project to substitute Tajewala water-head (constructed way back in 1873 and has now become non-functional) primarily for irrigation and power generation for Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. It is adjacent to the national park and is practically inseparable. Geographically, the wetland is located at 30 0 19.290'N & 77 0 02.579'E at an elevation of c. 310m. Fishing activities are not allowed in the barrage. Kalsi (1998) was, perhaps, the first to provide a list of 161 species of birds from the Kalesar Sanctuary, while Sharma (2006) made available an updated and an unannotated checklist of 304 species on the internet. To this checklist, Bahuguna et al. (2008) added five species of waterbirds. The present communication adds another five waterbird species. However, these studies did not deal with the status of waterbirds of Hathnikund, though a few studies on the status and diversity of waterbirds of two other man-made wetlands (Asan and Bheemgoda barrage wetlands) from the nearby areas are available (Tak et al. 1998;Kumar & Bhatt 2000;Tak & Sati 2003).

Material and Methods
Observations on the waterbird diversity and relative abundance at Hathnikund were carried out for two successive winters between October and March during 2007-08 and 2008-09. Regular surveys at monthly intervals were undertaken. In all, 12 visits were made to the wetlands. Each time the absolute counts were made by two to three observers to minimize errors. Relative abundance was assessed in terms of the following four categories: i) very common (observed in 75-100% of visits); ii) common (50-74%); iii) uncommon (25-49%) and iv) less common (< 25%). The nomenclature and systematic sequence of birds as given by Manakadan & Pittie (2001) was followed.

Results
The observations revealed that this wetland provides habitat for 31 waterbirds species belonging to 22 genera and 10 families, including the five waterbirds species (Barheaded Goose Anser indicus, Gadwall Anas strepera, Mallard Anas platyrhynchos, Red-crested Pochard Rhodonessa rufina, and Common Pochard Aythya ferina), which have been added for the first time to the existing checklist on avifauna of the area.
Of these, 14 species are widespread resident (R), one widespread resident whose population augmented by winter visitors (RW), 11 widespread winter visitors (W), and the remaining five species are sparse local winter visitors (w) ( Table 1).

Figure 1. Proportion of avian families as represented by species richness of waterbirds of Hathnikund Barrage
The species-wise average population and range have also been provided in Table 1.
The observations on the relative abundance of 31 waterbird species revealed that five species were very common (Great Cormorant & Brahminy Shelduck with 91.6%; Little Cormorant 83.3%; Little Egret & Spot-billed Duck 75%) and six species were common (Gadwall with 66.6%, Red-crested Pochard 58%, Little Grebe, Large Egret, Common Pochard & Red-wattled Lapwing 50%), while another six species were uncommon and the remaining 14 species were less common

Remarks
The occurrence of an average population of c. 350 individuals of 31 waterbird species during the study period is, perhaps, an indication of the fact that in near future the Hathnikund barrage wetlands may not only become a favourable habitat for waterbirds but may also develop into an ideal place for birdwatchers, naturalists, tourists, and researchers, since the waterbirds are of great importance for their esthetic, sporting, and economic values.