Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 September 2023 | 15(9): 23857–23869

 

ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) 

https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.8419.15.9.23857-23869

#8419 | Received 22 February 2023 | Final received 01 June 2023 | Finally accepted 14 August 2023

 

 

A checklist of the avifauna of Samanatham tank, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India

 

H. Byju 1 , N. Raveendran 2, S. Ravichandran 3   & Reshmi Vijayan 4

 

1,3 Centre of Advanced Study in Marine Biology, Annamalai University, Parangipettai, Tamil Nadu 608502, India.

2 Iragukal Amritha Nature Trust, 61, Ramachandra Thadaga Street, Thirumangalam, Madurai, Tamil Nadu 625706, India.

4 Department of Zoology, BJM Government College, Chavara, Kollam, Kerala 691583, India.

1 byjuhi@gmail.com (corresponding author), 2 Iant.ravee@gmail.com, 3 sravicas@gmail.com, 4 reshmidileeb@gmail.com

 

 

Editor: P.A. Azeez, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.               Date of publication: 26 September 2023 (online & print)

 

Citation: Byju, H., N. Raveendran, S. Ravichandran & R. Vijayan (2023). A checklist of the avifauna of Samanatham tank, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 15(9): 23857–23869. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.8419.15.9.23857-23869

  

Copyright: © Byju et al. 2023. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.  JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproduction, and distribution of this article in any medium by providing adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publication.

 

Funding: None.

 

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

 

Author contributions: BH—conceptualization, writing and editing; RN—data compilation, writing; SR-—writing and editing; RV—writing.

 

Acknowledgements: We thank all the school and college student volunteers of various institutions in Madurai who monitored and collected the information all these years. We are also grateful for Trisa Bhattacharjee for helping with the map.

 

 

Abstract: This avifaunal checklist from the Samanatham tank of Madurai District of Tamil Nadu is the first baseline data for this wetland. The study was done from August 2015 to March 2019 and from August 2020 to January 2022. A total of 150 species of birds comprising 17 orders and 52 families were documented. Order wise, Passeriformes 35% (n = 53), Pelecaniformes 15% (n = 22), and Charadriiformes 14% (n = 21) dominated the wetland bird community. The relative diversity (RDi) of families with the most species were Anatidae, Scolopacidae, and Accipitridae with 7.33%. Among the 150 species, 37 (25%) were winter visitors; and one passage migrant Rosy Starling Pastor roseus. The relative abundance indicated that 56% (84 species) were common, 28.6 % (43 species) were uncommon, and 15.4 % (23 species) were rare.  The study recorded eight globally Red Listed ‘Near Threatened’ species—Oriental Darter Anhinga melanogaster, Painted Stork Mycteria leucocephala, Black-headed Ibis Threskiornis melanocephalus, Spot-billed Pelican Pelecanus philippensis, Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa, Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica, River Tern Sterna aurantia, & Osprey Pandion haliaetu—and two ‘Vulnerable’ species—Indian Spotted Eagle Clanga hastata & Great Spotted Eagle Clanga clanga.

    

Keywords: Baseline, bird sanctuaries, shorebirds, waterbirds, wetland, winter visitors.

 

Introduction

 

Bird diversity is high among vertebrates due to their wide distribution. They are biodiversity indicators (Canterbury et al. 2000; Piersma & Lindström 2004) and documentation of their diversity, distribution, and taxonomy in India has been widely done (Ali & Ripley 1987; Kazmierczak 2006; Grimmett et al. 2011; Deomurari et al. 2023). India’s share is 12.5% of the global avifaunal richness (Grimmett et al. 2011; Praveen & Jayapal 2023). As there are continuous landscape changes due to economic development in new areas (Jha et al. 2000; Purvis & Hector 2000), regional-level monitoring of birds is essential (Gadgil 1996). Avifaunal studies help to understand the long-term changes in the landscape and the vegetative structures (Rika & Santosa 2007; Rashiba et al. 2022) which aids in conservation planning (Paul & Cooper 2005). Baseline data from any site is essential for any long-term conservation efforts (Peterson et al. 2000; Llanos et al. 2011). 

Avifaunal wetland studies in Tamil Nadu had been done in many wetlands like Pallikaranai (Raj et al. 2010), Karaivetti (Gokula 2010), Vaduvoor (Gokula & Raj 2011), and Karangad (Byju et al. 2023). In Madurai the avifaunal studies are scanty and literature search revealed few older studies (Nichols 1944a,b, 1945). Recent studies done on diversity and distribution were restricted to urban landscapes (Sathasivam 2015; Rajagopal et al. 2022) or thorn forest landscapes (Roopha et al. 2022). Wetlands worldwide are on the decline and India is no exception due to human interventions (Pringent et al. 2012; Sievers et al. 2018). The wetland diversity of Madurai is less documented, except for a few scanty works mentioned from the urban areas, no detailed long-term studies have been made on the diversity of birds in the wetland areas of Madurai. In this background, the current study highlights the status, composition, feeding guilds, and diversity of birds of Samanatham tank, one of the important wetlands of Madurai, Tamil Nadu.

 

 

Materials and Methods

 

Study Area

Samanatham tank 9.866674°N, 78.14719°E is located in Thiruparankundram block in the Madurai District of Tamil Nadu, India. The tank and its surrounding areas have various types of vegetation, including shrubs, trees, and aquatic plants. The main habitat types observed in the tank include: 1. Open water habitat (WL = Wetland), 2. Agricultural land (AL), 3. Trees (Tr) bordering the wetland, 4. Grassland (GL) on the wetland area, and 5. Scrub habitat (OS = Open scrub type). Some of the common trees found in the area include Neem Azadirachta indica, Mango Mangifera indica, Banyan Ficus benghalensis, Acacia nilotica, and Tamarind Tamarindus indica. The tank and its surrounding areas also have invasive species like Prosopis juliflora. The surrounding area also supports a variety of flowering plants, including Jasmine, Hibiscus, Lotus, and many others. In addition, the tank is home to a variety of aquatic plants, such as water lilies, Water Hyacinth, and Cattails. The area supports a variety of animals including reptiles like snakes & turtles, amphibians like frogs & toads, and fishes like catfish, tilapia, & carp. Overall, the flora and fauna in and around Samanatham tank are an important aspect of the ecosystem of the region and contribute to its rich biodiversity.

Madurai, located in the southern part of India, has a tropical climate with hot and humid summers and mild winters. The temperature ranges from 200 C to around 380C. The average annual rainfall is 800 mm. The highest amounts of rainfall are during October and November.

 

Bird survey method

In the Samanatham tank, bird monitoring was continued for seven years (2015–2022) to maintain the baseline data. The period of observation was carried out every month from August 2015 to March 2019 and from August 2020 to January 2022. The birds were observed during the peak hours of their activity from 0600–1000 h and 1600–1800 h. Later, bird surveys were conducted using block count and direct visual count methods (Howes & Bakewell 1989; Bibby et al. 2000). In this method, six scanning points were identified (Figure 1) and birds in the blocks were observed using field binoculars (10 x 52 Olympus; Celestron outland 10 x 42) and recorded with a camera (Nikon D750, Canon 100–400 mm f/5.6 lens). We began counting five minutes after the arrival at each scanning points for the waterbirds to acclimate to the human presence. The identification of birds was done using the following field guides (Ali 2002; Grimmett et al. 2011). The common name, scientific name, IUCN Red List status, and migratory status are followed using (Praveen & Jayapal 2023). The feeding guild data for each species were collected from the existing literature (Ali & Ripley 1987; Byju et al. 2023). The data recorded were later analyzed for relative abundance based on the frequency of sightings, as per MacKinnon & Phillips (1993): common (C) sighted from seven to nine times; un-common (UC) sighted from three to six times; rare (R) sighted once or twice. The relative diversity (RDi) of families was calculated using the following the formula by La Torre-Cuadros et al. (2007).

             Number of bird species in a family

     RDi = –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

                     Total number of species

 

 

Results and Discussion   

 

A total of 150 species of birds belonging to 52 families under 17 orders were recorded from the Samanatham tank (Table 1; Images 1–18). The order Passeriformes dominated the study area with a maximum number of species, i.e., 53 species (35%), and with the lowest Strigiformes, Bucerotiformes, Falconiformes, Psittaciformes, sharing one species (0.66%) each (Figure 2). Similarly, family-wise Scolopacidae, Anatidae, and Accipitridae with relative abundance (RDi) of 7.33 % (11 species each), followed by Ardeidae (nine species) comprised the maximum number of birds species (Table 2).

As per the IUCN Red List (IUCN 2021), the wetland supports, eight globally ‘Near Threatened’ (NT) species -Oriental Darter Anhinga melanogaster, Painted Stork Mycteria leucocephala, Black-headed Ibis Threskiornis melanocephalus, Spot-billed Pelican Pelecanus philippensis, Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa, Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica, River Tern Sterna aurantia, & Osprey Pandion haliaetus; two ‘Vulnerable’ (Vu) species – Indian Spotted Eagle Clanga hastata & Great Spotted Eagle Clanga clanga; and the remaining 140 species are under ‘Least Concern’ (LC).

 An analysis of the feeding guilds of these birds revealed that 38% (57 species) were insectivorous, 33% (49 species) were carnivorous, 14% (21 species) were omnivorous, 7% (11 species) were granivorous, 5% (eight species each) were frugivorous, and 3% (four species) were nectarivorous (Figure 3). Further analysis of relative abundance based on the frequency of observation indicated that 56 % (84 species) were C (common), 28.6 % (43 species) were UC (uncommon), and 15.4 % (23 species) were Ra (rare). The analysis of data on residential status revealed that out of 150 species, 37 (25%) were winter visitors (WV) and one passage migrant (PM) Rosy Starling Pastor roseus.

  The wetland being used by the long-distance migrant shorebirds including the Bar-tailed Godwit and the Black-tailed Godwit, the two Near Threatened species in reasonable numbers makes this an important wintering area for those species. Similar works were reported recently from the Changaram wetlands of Kerala highlighting the need of conserving hitherto undocumented new areas of shorebird wintering sites (Anand et al. 2023). The consistent occurrence of the Near Threatened River Tern represents another ecologically significant species within this geographic region. It is also interesting to note that another two Near Threatened species namely Spot-billed Pelican and Oriental Darter were breeding in the Samanatham tank. Tamil Nadu is home to 535 bird species (Praveen et al. 2018) and we recorded 150 (28%) species during the current study at this single water tank in Madurai.

Our study provides important baseline information and the presence of many important waterbird species; this will help in the long-term monitoring of birds in the tank besides acting as an essential document in planning conservation efforts for the wetland. This tank is an artificial waterbody that supports a variety of plant and animal life. Samanatham tank plays a role in water management and flood control for the surrounding area. Hence, this tank should be recognized as a valuable ecosystem that should be elevated to protection status and conserved for future generations.

 

Table 1. Checklist of bird species in Samanatham tank, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India.

 

Order/Family/Common name

Scientific name

IUCN Red List status

Habitat

Resident status

Relative abundance

Feeding habits

 

Anseriformes: Anatidae 

1

Knob-billed Duck

Sarkidiornis melanotos

LC

WL/AL

R/NB

UC

O

2

Common Teal

Anas crecca

LC

WL

WV

UC

O

 3

Bar-headed Goose

Anser indicus

 LC

 WL

 WV

UC

O

4

Eurasian Wigeon

Mareca penelope

LC

WL

WV

UC

O

5

Fulvous Whistling Duck

Dendrocygna bicolor

LC

WL

LM

C

O

6

Garganey

Spatula querquedula

LC

WL

WV

UC

O

7

Northern Shoveler

Spatula clypeata

LC

WL

WV

UC

O

8

Indian Spot-billed Duck

Anas poecilorhyncha

LC

WL

R

C

O

9

Lesser Whistling Duck

Dendrocygna javanica

LC

WL

R/NB

C

O

10

Northern Pintail

Anas acuta

LC

WL

WV

Ra

O

11

Ruddy Shelduck

Tadorna ferruginea

LC

WL

WV

Ra

O

 

Phoenicopteriformes: Phoenicopteridae 

12

Greater Flamingo

Phoenicopterus roseus

LC

WL

LM

Ra

I

 

Podicipedidae

 

 

 

 

 

 

13

Little Grebe

Tachybaptus ruficollis

LC

WL

R

C

C

 

Columbiformes: Columbidae

14

Rock Pigeon

Columba livia

LC

AL/OS/GL

R

C

G

15

Spotted Dove

Spilopelia chinensis

LC

AL/OS/GL

R

C

G

16

Eurasian collared Dove

Streptopelia decaocto

LC

AL/OS/GL

R

C

G

17

Laughing Dove

Spilopelia senegalensis

LC

AL/OS/GL

R

C

G

 

Caprimulgiformes: Apodidae

18

Asian Palm Swift

Cypsiurus balasiensis

LC

Tr

R

C

I

19

Alpine Swift

Apus melba

 LC

 Tr

 R

UC

I

 

Cuculiformes: Cuculidae

20

Asian Koel

Eudynamys scolopaceus

LC

OS

R

C

O

21

Common Hawk-Cuckoo

Hierococcyx varius

LC

OS

R

Ra

O

22

Greater Coucal

Centropus sinensis

LC

OS

R

C

C

23

Blue faced Malkoha

Phaenicophaeus viridirostris

 LC

 OS

 R

C

I

24

Pied Crested Cuckoo

Clamator jacobinus

LC

OS

R/NB

C

I

 

Gruiformes: Rallidae

25

Baillon's Crake

Zapornia pusilla

LC

WL

R

UC

C

26

Eurasian Coot

Fulica atra

LC

WL

R

C

C

27

Eurasian Moorhen

 Gallinula chloropus

 LC

 WL

 R

C

C

28

Gray-headed Swamphen

Porphyrio poliocephalus

 LC

 WL

 R

C

C

29

White-breasted Waterhen

Amaurornis phoenicurus

LC

IWB

R

C

C

 

Galliformes: Phasianidae

30

Grey Francolin

Ortygornis pondicerianus

LC

GL/OS

R

C

G

31

Indian Peafowl

Pavo cristatus

LC

AL/OS

R

C

O

 

Pelecaniformes: Ciconiidae

32

Asian Openbill Stork

Anastomus oscitans

LC

WL

R

C

C

33

Painted Stork

Mycteria leucocephala

NT

WL

R

C

C

34

Asian Wooly-necked Stork

Ciconia episcopus

LC

WL

WV

Ra

C

 

Pelecanidae

 

 

 

 

 

35

Spot-billed Pelican

Pelecanus philippensis

NT

WL

R

C

C

 

Ardeidae

 

 

 

 

 

36

Black-crowned Night Heron

Nycticorax nycticorax

LC

WL

R

C

C

37

Cattle Egret

Bubulcus ibis

LC

WL

R

C

C

38

Purple Heron

 Ardea purpurea

 LC

 WL

 R

C

C

39

Grey Heron

Ardea cinerea

LC

WL

R

C

C

40

Indian Pond-Heron

Ardeola grayii

LC

WL

R

C

C

41

Intermediate Egret

Ardea intermedia

LC

WL

R

C

C

42

Great Egret

Ardea alba

LC

WL

R

C

C

43

Little Egret

Egretta garzetta

LC

WL

R

C

C

44

Striated Heron

Butorides striata

LC

WL

R

C

C

 

Threskiornithidae

 

 

 

 

 

45

Black-headed Ibis

Threskiornis melanocephalus

NT

WL

R

C

C

46

Eurasian Spoonbill

Platalea leucorodia

LC

WL

R

C

C

47

Glossy Ibis

Plegadis falcinellus

LC

WL

R

C

C

48

Red-naped Ibis

Pseudibis papillosa

LC

WL/AL

R

UC

C

 

Phalacrocoracidae

 

 

 

 

 

49

Great Cormorant

Phalacrocorax carbo

LC

WL

R

UC

C

50

Indian Cormorant

Phalacrocorax fuscicollis

LC

WL

R

C

C

51

Little Cormorant

Microcarbo niger

LC

WL

R

C

C

 

Anhingidae

 

 

 

 

 

52

Oriental Darter

Anhinga melanogaster

NT

WL

R

UC

C

 

Charadriiformes: Recurvirostridae

53

Black Winged Stilt

Himantopus himantopus

LC

WL

R

C

I

 

Charadriidae

 

 

 

 

 

54

Kentish Plover

Charadrius alexandrinus

LC

WL

LM

UC

I

55

Little Ringed Plover

Charadrius dubius

LC

WL

WV

UC

I

56

Red-wattled Lapwing

Vanellus indicus 

LC

WL

R

C

O

57

Yellow-wattled Lapwing

Vanellus malabaricus

LC

WL/AL

R

Ra

O

 

Jacanidae

 

 

 

 

 

58

Pheasant-tailed Jacana

Hydrophasianus chirurgus

LC

WL

R

C

I

 

Scolopacidae

 

 

 

 

 

59

Black-tailed Godwit

Limosa limosa

NT

WL

WV

UC

I

60

Bar-tailed Godwit

Limosa lapponica

NT

WL

WV

UC

I

  61

Ruff

Calidris pugnax

LC

WL

WV

UC

O

62

Temminck's Stint

Calidris temminckii

LC

WL

WV

UC

I

63

Little Stint

Calidris minuta

LC

WL

WV

UC

I

64

Common Sandpiper

Actitis hypoleucos

LC

WL

WV

UC

I

65

Green Sandpiper

Tringa ochropus

LC

WL

WV

UC

I

66

Marsh Sandpiper

Tringa stagnatilis

LC

WL

WV

UC

I

67

Wood Sandpiper

Tringa glareola

LC

WL

WV

UC

I

68

Pin-tailed Snipe

Gallinago stenura

LC

WL

WV

UC

I

69

Common Greenshank

Tringa nebularia

LC

WL

WV

UC

I

70

Small Pratincole

Glareola lactea

 LC

WL

WV

UC

I

 

Laridae

 

 

 

 

 

71

Gull-billed Tern

Gelochelidon nilotica

LC

WL

WV

Ra

C

72

Whiskered Tern

Chlidonias hybrida

LC

WL

WV

Ra

C

73

River Tern

Sterna aurantia

 NT

 WL

 WV

 Ra

C

 

Accipitriformes: Pandionidae 

74

Osprey

Pandion haliaetus

NT

WL/Tr

WV

Ra

C

 

Accipitridae

 

 

 

 

 

     75

Booted Eagle

Hieraaetus pennatus

LC

Tr

WV

UC

C

76

Black Kite

Milvus migrans

LC

Tr

R

C

C

77

Black-winged Kite

Elanus caeruleus

LC

Tr

R

C

C

78

Greater Spotted Eagle

Clanga clanga

VU

Tr

WV

UC

C

79

Indian Spotted Eagle

Clanga hastata

VU

Tr

WV

UC

C

    80

Shikra

Accipiter badius

LC

Tr

R

C

C

    81

Short-toed Snake Eagle

Circaetus gallicus

LC

Tr

LM

Ra

C

 82

Eurasian Marsh- Harrier

Circus aeruginosus

LC

Tr

WV

Ra

C

83

White-eyed Buzzard

Butastur teesa

LC

GL

R

Ra

C

84

Oriental Honey-Buzzard

Pernis ptilorhynchus

LC

Tr

LM

UC

C

85

Common Buzzard

Buteo buteo

LC

Tr

WV

Ra

C

 

Strigiformes: Strigidae

86

Spotted Owlet

Athene brama

LC

OS

R

C

C

 

Bucerotiformes: Upupidae 

87

Common Hoopoe

Upupa epops

LC

OS/GL

R

C

I

 

Piciformes: Picidae

88

Black-rumped Flameback

Dinopium benghalense

LC

Tr

R

C

I

 

Megalaimidae

 

 

 

 

 

89

Coppersmith Barbet

Psilopogon haemacephalus

LC

Tr

R

C

F

 

Coraciiformes:Meropidae

90

Blue-tailed Bee-eater

Merops philippinus

LC

OS

R

C

I

91

Green Bee-eater

Merops orientalis

LC

OS

R

UC

I

 

Coraciidae

 

 

 

 

 

92

Indian Roller

Coracias benghalensis

LC

OS/GL

R

C

I

 

Alcedinidae

 

 

 

 

 

93

Pied Kingfisher

Ceryle rudis

LC

WL/OS

R

C

C

94

Common Kingfisher

Alcedo atthis

LC

WL/OS

R

C

C

95

White-throated Kingfisher

Halcyon smyrnensis

LC

WL/OS

R

C

C

 

Falconiformes: Falconidae

96

Red-necked Falcon

Falco chicquera

LC

OS/GL

WV

Ra

C

 

Psittaciformes: Psittacidae

97

Rose-ringed Parakeet

Psittacula krameri

LC

Tr

R

C

F

 

Passeriformes: Oriolidae

98

Indian Golden Oriole

Oriolus kundoo

LC

Tr

R

C

O

 

Pittadae

 

 

 

 

 

99

Indian Pitta

Pitta brachyura

LC

OS/GL

WV

Ra

I

 

Artamidae

 

 

 

 

 

100

Ashy Woodswallow

Artamus fuscus

LC

OS

R

C

I

 

Dicruridae

 

 

 

 

 

101

Black Drongo

Dicrurus macrocercus

LC

OS

R

C

I

 102

Ashy Drongo

Dicrurus leucophaeus

 LC

 OS

 R

UC

I

 

Laniidae

 

 

 

 

 

103

Brown Shrike

Lanius cristatus

LC

OS

WV

UC

I

104

Long-tailed Shrike

Lanius schach

LC

OS

R

C

C

 

Vangidae

 

 

 

 

 

105

Common Woodshrike

Tephrodornis pondicerianus

LC

OS

R

Ra

I

 

Corvidae

 

 

 

 

 

106

House Crow

Corvus splendens

LC

OS/Tr

R

C

O

107

Rufous Treepie

Dendrocitta vagabunda

LC

OS

R

C

O

108

Large-billed Crow

Corvus macrorhynchos

LC

OS/Tr

R

C

O

 

Monarchidae

 

 

 

 

 

109

Indian Paradise-Flycatcher

Terpsiphone paradisi

LC

OS/GL

R/NB

UC

I

 

Nectariniidae

 

 

 

 

 

110

Loten’s Sunbird

Cinnyris lotenius

LC

OS

R

UC

N

111

Purple-rumped Sunbird

 Leptocoma zeylonica

LC

OS

R

C

N

112

Purple Sunbird

Cinnyris asiaticus

LC

OS

R

C

N

 

Ploceidae

 

 

 

 

 

113

Baya Weaver

Ploceus philippinus

LC

OS

R

C

G

114

Streaked Weaver

Ploceus manyar

LC

OS

R

C

G

 

Estrildidae

 

 

 

 

 

 

115

Tricolored Munia

Lonchura malacca

LC

OS

R

C

G

116

Indian Silverbill

Euodice malabarica

LC

OS

R

C

G

117

Scaly-breasted Munia

Lonchura punctulata

LC

OS

R

C

G

 

Passeridae

 

 

 

 

 

 

118

House Sparrow

Passer domesticus

LC

AL/GL

R

C

G

 

Motacillidae

 

 

 

 

 

 

119

Citrine Wagtail

Motacilla citreola

LC

GL

WV

UC

I

120

Paddyfield Pipit

Anthus rufulus

LC

GL/AL

R

C

I

121

Grey Wagtail

Motacilla cinerea

 LC

 GL

 R/NB

UC

I

122

White-browed Wagtail

Motacilla maderaspatensis

LC

WL

R

C

I

123

Western Yellow Wagtail

Motacilla flava

LC

OS

WV

Ra

I

 

Alaudidae

 

 

 

 

 

 

124

Ashy-crowned Sparrow-Lark

Eremopterix griseus

LC

AL/OS/GL

R

C

I

125

Jerdon’s Bushlark

Mirafra affinis

LC

AL/OS/GL

R

C

I

126

Oriental Skylark

Alauda gulgula

LC

AL/OS/GL

R

C

I

 

Cisticolidae

 

 

 

 

 

 

127

Common Tailorbird

Orthotomus sutorius

LC

AL/OS/GL

R

C

I

128

Plain Prinia

Prinia inornata

LC

AL/OS/GL

R

C

I

129

Zitting Cisticola

Cisticola juncidis

LC

AL/OS/GL

R

C

I

130

Ashy Prinia

Prinia socialis

LC

AL/OS/GL

R

C

I

131

Jungle Prinia

Prinia sylvatica

 LC

 OS

 R

C

I

 

Leiothrichidae

 

 

 

 

 

 

132

Yellow-billed Babbler

Argya affinis

LC

OS

R

C

I

 

Acrocephalidae

 

 

 

 

 

 

133

Blyth's Reed Warbler

Acrocephalus dumetorum

LC

OS

R/NB

UC

I

134

Booted Warbler

Iduna caligata

LC

OS

R/NB

Ra

I

135

Clamorous Reed-Warbler

Acrocephalus stentoreus

LC

OS

R

C

I

136

Thick-billed Warbler

Arundinax aedon

LC

OS

R/NB

Ra

I

137

Sykes's Warbler

Iduna rama

LC

OS

R/NB

Ra

I

 

Hirundinidae

 

 

 

 

 

 

138

Barn Swallow

Hirundo rustica

LC

AL/WL

WV

Ra

I

139

Red-rumped Swallow

Cecropis daurica

LC

AL/WL

R

UC

I

140

Dusky crag Martin 

Ptyonoprogne concolor

 LC

 WL/AL

 R

 UC

I

 

Pycnonotidae

 

 

 

 

 

 

141

Red-vented Bulbul

Pycnonotus cafer

LC

OS

R

C

F

142

White-browed Bulbul

Pycnonotus luteolus

LC

OS

R

Ra

F

 

Sturnidae

 

 

 

 

 

 

143

Brahminy Starling

Sturnia pagodarum

LC

OS

R

UC

F

144

Common Myna

Acridotheres tristis

LC

OS

R

C

F

145

Chestnut-tailed Starling

Sturnia malabarica

LC

OS

WV

UC

F

146

Rosy Starling

Pastor roseus

LC

OS

PM

UC

F

 

Muscicapidae

 

 

 

 

 

 

147

Indian Robin

Copsychus fulicatus

LC

OS/AL

R

C

I

148

Oriental Magpie-Robin

Copsychus saularis

LC

OS/AL

R

C

I

149

Pied Bushchat

Saxicola caprata

LC

OS

R

C

I

 

Dicaeidae

 

 

 

 

 

 

150

Pale-billed Flowerpecker

Dicaeum erthrorhynchos

LC

OS

R

UC

N

IUCN Red list status: LC—Least Concern | NT—Near Threatened | Vu—Vulnerable. 

Resident status: WV—Winter Visitor | LM—Local Migrant | R—Resident | R/NB—Resident/Non-Breeding.

Relative abundance: C—Common | UC—Uncommon | Ra—Rare.

Habitats: W—Wetland | AL—Agricultural Land | Tr—Tree | GL—Grass Land | OS—Open Scrub.

Feeding status: I—Insectivore | G—Granivore | C—Carnivore | O—Omnivore | N—Nectarivore | F—Frugivore.

 

 

Table 2. Relative diversity (RDi) of various avian families at Samanatham tank, Madurai.

 

Family

No of species

RDi %

1

Anatidae

11

7.33

2

Phoenicopteridae

1

0.66

3

Podicipedidae

1

0.66

4

Columbidae

4

2.66

5

Apodidae

2

1.33

6

Cuculidae

5

3.33

7

Rallidae

5

3.33

8

Phasianidae

2

1.33

9

Ciconiidae

3

2.00

10

Pelecanidae

1

0.66

11

Ardeidae

9

6.00

12

Threskiornithidae

4

2.66

13

Phalacrocoracidae

3

2.00

14

Anhingidae

1

0.66

15

Recurvirostridae

1

0.66

16

Charadriidae

4

2.66

17

Jacanidae

1

0.66

18

Scolopacidae

11

7.33

19

Laridae

3

2.00

20

Pandionidae

1

0.66

21

Accipitridae

11

7.33

22

Strigidae

1

0.66

23

Upupidae

1

0.66

24

Picidae

1

0.66

25

Megalaimidae

1

0.66

26

Meropidae

1

0.66

27

Coraciidae

1

0.66

28

Alcedinidae

3

2.00

29

Falconidae

1

0.66

30

Psittacidae

1

0.66

31

Oriolidae

1

0.66

32

Pittidae

1

0.66

33

Artamidae

1

0.66

34

Dicruridae

1

0.66

35

Laniidae

2

1.33

36

Vangidae

1

0.66

37

Corvidae

3

2.00

38

Monarchidae

1

0.66

39

Nectariniidae

3

2.00

40

Ploceidae

2

1.33

41

Estrildidae

3

2.00

42

Passeridae

1

0.66

43

Motacillidae

5

3.33

44

Alaudidae

3

2.00

45

Cisticolidae

5

3.33

46

Leiotrichidae

1

0.66

47

Acrocephalidae

5

3.33

48

Hirundinidae

3

2.00

49

Pycnonotidae

3

1.65

50

Sturnidae

4

2.66

51

Muscicapidae

3

1.65

52

Dicaeidae

1

0.66

 

Total

150

 

 

For figures & images - - click here for full PDF

 

 

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