Journal
of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 July 2023 | 15(7): 23472–23486
ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN
0974-7893 (Print)
https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.8467.15.7.23472-23486
#8467 | Received 02 April 2023
| Final received 31 May 2023 | Finally accepted 18 July 2023
Babesa Sewage Treatment Plant as a
vital artificial wetland habitat for a multitude of avian species
Pelden Nima 1, Mahendra Timsina 2, Tenzin Jamtsho 3 & Pema Khandu 4
1 Department of Science, Wangbama Central School, Ministry of Education and Skills
Development, Thimphu 11001, Bhutan.
2 Edith Cowan University, 2
Bradford Street, Mount Lawley WA 6050, Australia.
3 Centre for Molecular
Therapeutics, Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook
University, Cairns campus, Smithfield, QLD 4878, Australia.
4 Department of Biology, Texas
State University, San Marcos, Texas 78666, USA.
1 nimapelden@gmail.com (corresponding author), 2 mtimxena@gmail.com , 3 jamtshooo@gmail.com,
4 pksesay@gmail.com
Abstract: This study aimed to glean basic
ecological aspects on diversity and abundance, temporal variation and guild
composition of the birds at Babesa Sewage Treatment
Plant (STP). The line transect method was used as the sampling technique from November 2021 to October 2022. A total of 80 species belonging to 58
genera, 29 families, and 11 orders were detected, of which three, namely, River
Lapwing Vanellus duvaucelii, Falcated
Duck Mareca falcata, and Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca, are ‘Near Threatened’ with the
remaining being ‘Least Concern’. The highest species richness was recorded in the winter
(6.29), the highest species diversity in the spring (2.73), and the highest
evenness in the summer (0.76). There was not any statistically significant difference between non-waterbirds and waterbirds, or
between feeding guilds. However, based on a permutational multivariate analysis
of variance (PERMANOVA), the bird composition was significantly different among
seasons.
Subsequently, pairwise comparisons revealed a significant difference between
autumn & winter (P = 0.006), autumn & summer (P = 0.006), autumn &
spring (P = 0.018), winter & summer (P = 0.006), winter & spring (P =
0.006) as well as spring & summer (P = 0.006). The non-metric multidimensional
scaling (NMDS)
biplot showed most bird species overlap occurred between autumn and spring as
well as summer and spring, respectively. Taken together, the present results
suggest that the Babesa STP holds significant potential as a habitat for
diverse avian populations and underscores the ecological significance of
artificial wetlands.
Keywords: Artificial
wetland, avian population, feeding guilds, non-waterbirds, species diversity, waterbirds.
Editor: H. Byju,
Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. Date
of publication: 26 July 2023 (online & print)
Citation: Nima, P., M. Timsina, T. Jamtsho & P. Khandu (2023). Babesa
Sewage Treatment Plant as a vital artificial wetland habitat for a multitude of
avian species. Journal of Threatened Taxa 15(7):
23472–23486. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.8467.15.7.23472-23486
Copyright: © Nima 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: This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
Competing interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
Author details: P. Nima currently works as a biology teacher at Wangbama Central School under the Ministry of Education and Skills Development (MoESD), Thimphu Bhutan. He holds an MS in Agriculture from Nagoya University, Japan, where he studied about the neuroendocrine mechanism of mammalian reproduction. Additionally, his research interests encompass behavioral and reproductive ecology of waterbirds. M. Timsina is currently pursuing his master’s degree in education from Edith Cowan University, Western Australia. He served as a
biology and environmental science teacher for 10 years with the MoESD. His research interest includes bird ecology and conservation, and is passionate about nature and wildlife. T. Jamtsho is currently pursuing his PhD at the Centre for Molecular Therapeutics, Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University. His research interest includes biodiversity, pharmacognosy, medicinal chemistry, ethnobotany and phytochemistry. P. Khandu, a wildlife biologist, specializes in avian ecology, particularly focusing on the rare White-bellied Heron and its conservation. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Aquatic Resources and Integrative Biology at Texas State University, USA. Through birding expeditions and seminars, he inspires the younger generation to meaningfully engage in science-based conservation programs.
Author contributions: PN conceived the study design, carried out field study, data collection, data tabulation, statistical analysis and prepared the whole manuscript. MT carried out field study,
data collection, data tabulation and helped in revision. TJ provided critical comments on the whole manuscripts and helped in revision. PK critically commented and revised the whole manuscript, and provided comments on statistical analysis. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Acknowledgements: All authors remain indebted to IDEA WILD for the
grant of the equipment (Police Binocular).
INTRODUCTION
Accumulating
evidence suggest that wetlands are indispensable for the conservation of many waterbirds and migratory species as well as for mammals,
fishes, invertebrates, reptiles and amphibians (Airoldi
et al. 2008; Kedleck & Wallace 2008; Engle 2011).
This is because wetlands are primarily considered to be abundant in food (Rajpar et al. 2010) and water resources that sustain
various lifeforms. Particularly for waterbirds, they
are thought to provide breeding, stopover and wintering sites for diverse
migratory species (Rendon 2008; Ma et al. 2009), and have been shown to help in
the accumulation of critical energy reserves (Catry et al.
2022; Liu et al. 2022), which is inevitable for the wetland-dependent birds to
complete a long migration (Alerstam et al. 2003).
Wetlands are also considered to enhance landscape biodiversity, control floods,
provide recreation (Hansson et al. 2005) and remove pollutants (Vymazal 2010).
However,
due to the burgeoning human population, wetlands have been imperilled (Zedler & Kercher 2005). For example,
anthropogenic-induced pressures such as water pollution, surplus use of
pesticides in adjoining agricultural habitats and human settlements have caused
50% of natural wetlands to be degraded and altered globally (Mitsch & Gosselink 2015).
Likewise, human dependence on wetlands for various ecosystem services has
intensified and mounted pressures on these ecologically delicate ecosystems (Molur et al. 2011), which may further deteriorate in the
future.
Consequently,
it has placed wetland inhabitants in a perilous state (Soderquist
et al. 2021) often culminating in fewer resources for wetland-dependent species
such as waterbirds (Forcey et al. 2011). As a
result, avifaunal diversity has diminished. Thus, waterbirds
have become progressively reliant on alternative and artificial wetlands
(Murray & Hamilton 2010) such as small agricultural ponds, paddy fields and water
treatment plants to meet their needs (Lawler 2001; Sebastián-González
et al. 2010; Hsu et al. 2011).
Though
artificial wetlands cannot fully replace the operationality of natural wetland
habitats (Li et al. 2013), wastewater treatment ponds have been reported to
increasingly play an important role in supporting regional population of waterbirds (Kalejta-Summers et
al. 2001) mainly due to abundance of food resources such as zooplankton
(Hamilton et al. 2005). Further, such artificial wetland habitats have been
reported to form key staging sites and breeding grounds for migratory bird
species (Donahue 2006). Indeed, Breed et al. (2020) showed that wastewater treatment plant is
a crucial refuge site for several species of ducks and waders. Similarly,
several other studies have also shown that sewage treatment plant (STP) provide
habitat supplements and occasional alternative sanctuaries for waterbirds (Attuquayefio & Gbogbo 2001; Gbogbo 2007; Harebottle et al. 2008; Murray & Hamilton 2010). As a
consequence, attempts have been made globally to safeguard the wetlands of
significance (Tiéga 2011;
Ibrahim & Aziz 2012), several of which encompass artificial
wetlands (Zedler &
Kercher 2005). For instance, a few sewerage habitats, such as Phakalane
sewage lagoons in Botswana and Samra sewage in Jordan, are internationally
acknowledged as an important bird area (Orlowski
2013).
However,
despite the global recognition of STPs as valuable habitat for many bird species,
studies pertaining to it are limited (Murray & Hamilton
2010). As such, there is not a single report from Bhutan regarding the role of
STP in bird conservation, and in general, studies concerning bird diversity and
conservation are sparse and limited only to protected areas (Gyeltshen et al. 2020; Dendup et
al. 2021), non-protected areas (Norbu et al. 2021)
and freshwater ecosystems (Passang 2018; Nima & Dorji 2022).
Therefore, there is a paucity of information and a knowledge gap concerning the
role of STPs on the conservation of waterbirds in
Bhutan.
To this
end, the present systematic study aimed to glean basic ecological aspects on i) diversity and abundance, ii) temporal variation and iii)
guild composition of the birds found in Thimphu’s
only STP. This study will also provide the opportunity to form a basis for
formulating national and local policies for the conservation of waterbird species (Wang et al. 2018) and proper management
of their essential habitats such as the STP. Documenting the avian diversity of
this habitat will advance our understanding of the utilization of sewerage
treatment plants by the different avian communities.
MATERIALS
AND METHODS
Study site
The present
study was conducted at Babesa STP (27.43670N,
89.65210E) (Figure 1), Thimphu,
Bhutan. The study site spans an area of 13 acres of land with the design
capacity of 1.75 million l/day and 325 mg/l five-day biological oxygen demand
(BOD5) removal (Phuntsho et al. 2016).
There are three ponds with varying areas and depth. The first
one, anaerobic pond covers 1.85 ha with a depth of 3 m, while
the second, facultative pond covers 0.71 ha with a depth of 2 m, and the third,
maturation pond covers 1.71 ha with a depth of 1.5 m, respectively. The banks
of all the three ponds have flat upper surfaces lined with rocks, mostly
covered by Cynodont dactylon, and features
steep vertical slopes approximately measuring 0.45 m. Other sparsely populated
herb species such as Rumex nepalensis is also found along the edges of the
pond. The surrounding vegetation is mostly dominated by tree species such as Salix
babylonica, sparsely populated Silax and Populus
species along with the shrub Rosa brunonii
and the herb Fagopyrum species.
It is
situated about 40 m away from Babesa-Thimphu expressway
and lies to the immediate south of Wangchhu (chhu = river) while heading towards the main town. The
nearest human settlement is about 15 m away from the study site. The site has
moderate summer, cool spring and autumn, and a cold winter season with an
annual average temperature of 13.8°C, and an annual average rainfall of 48.3 mm
(NCHM 2013). The STP uses wastewater stabilization ponds alone (Phuntsho et al. 2016).
Bird counts
A reconnaissance study was
carried out in the last week of October 2021 to identify vantage points and a
suitable position for a transect lines. The actual study commenced from the
first week of November 2021, considered to be the ideal time for studying wintering
and resident birds in the sub-Himalayan region (Salewski et al. 2003; Mazumdar et al.
2007), through to
the end of October 2022.
We divided the time of the day
into two intervals: 0800–1000 h in the morning and 1500–1700 h in the evening
for 23 bird count surveys along the 650-m transect line. So, in a day we
traversed for four hours along the 1,300 m transect line. For the remaining 14
bird surveys, in a day we surveyed the birds only once for 2 h in the evening
along the 650 m transect line. Altogether, we spent 120 h surveying the birds
along the 39,000 m of transect line. All the surveys were performed on
weekends.
Prior to entering the designated
study site, we observed and recorded all the birds sighted in the open sewerage
pond from a vantage point to make a quick estimate of the actual birds present
and help validate the counts made from the line transect. Before we traversed
the preset transect line by foot and recorded the
sightings, we spent about 10 min to settle so that the birds did not feel
disturbed and stressed. Concurrently, care was taken to maintain a proper
distance between the observer and birds. At a certain randomly identified
points marked along the transect, we stopped for about 15 min and recorded
additional visible species and estimated the number of each species (Webb et
al. 2010). We included all the observed bird species either wandering on the
bank or resting on the bank or trees as long as they were within 50 m radius
from the transect (Hutto et al. 1986). We did not consider flying birds in
order to avoid repeated counting of the same individuals. Moreover, to reduce
the impact of inclement weather on results of sightings, observations were not
taken during snowfall or rainfall.
Birds were recorded using direct
observations with the help of binoculars namely Police (7 x 50, Steiner,
Germany), and Nikon (7 x 50), and immediately noted in the field journal. Where
a bird species could not be confirmed, photos were taken using Canon 7d Mark II
paired with Tamron G2 telephoto zoom lens (150–600 mm) and Nikon D850 paired
with Nikkor telephoto zoom lens (200–500 mm) for
further identification.
Bird identification,
nomenclature, feeding guild, and conservation status
We followed Grimmett
et al. (2019) for avifauna identification and nomenclature. Further, birds were categorized as per
their residency pattern as Altitudinal Migrant (AM), Passage Migrant (PM),
Resident (R), Summer Visitor (SV), Vagrant (V), and Winter Visitor (WV) (Ali et al. 1996; Feijen & Feijen 2008; Grimmett et al. 2019). Likewise, feeding
guilds were ascribed based on the observation made in the field (Kumar & Sharma 2018; Singh et al. 2020).
Additionally, we followed Ali & Ripley (1987) to assign the feeding guild:
granivorous if they fed on grains, omnivorous if they fed on both plants and
animals, insectivorous if they fed on insects, carnivorous if they fed on
non-insects’ invertebrates and vertebrates, frugivorous if they fed on fruits
and nectarivorous if they fed on floral nectar. Birds
were also categorized as water and non-waterbirds.
The conservation status of the identified bird species was categorized as per
International Union of Conservation for Nature (IUCN 2022).
Species accumulation curve
Species accumulation curve as a
function of sampling adequacy was performed to determine if the probability of
sighting new species increased with increase in sampling days. The function ‘specaccum’ from R package ‘vegan’ (Oksanen et al. 2019) was employed to discover the expected
species accumulation curve by means of sample-based rarefaction (Chiarucci et al. 2008).
Bird abundance and rank abundance
curve
We followed Bull (1974) to
describe the bird abundance. If more than 1,000 individuals were seen in a day, it was classed as
very abundant (VA), those between 201–1,000 individuals as abundant (A),
between 51–200 individuals as very common (VC) and those between 21–50 as
common (C). Likewise, those between seven to 20 were classed as fairly common
(FC) and between one to six as uncommon (UC). For birds with one to six
individuals per season, it was classed as rare (Ra) and those with infrequent
occurrence as very rare (VR) species.
The season-wise rank abundance
curve was graphed with abundance rank and relative abundance. For
interpretation purpose, a horizontal rank abundance indicated a community with
a complete even distribution, whereas a steeper slope indicated a community
with a less even distribution of species (Akinnifesi 2010). Subsequently, a rank abundance
curve was plotted to analyse dominance patterns and species evenness across
different seasons.
Data analysis
The relative diversity (RDi) of families was computed following La Torre-Cuadros et al. (2007), where:
For species evenness (E), we
followed Pielou’s index (Pielou
1966):
Where:
E: Pielou’s
index
H’: Shannon diversity index
Ln: natural logarithm
S: number of species observed
If E is close to 0, species
evenness is considered low and if E is close to 1, evenness is considered to be
relatively uniform.
For richness index (R), we
followed Margalef's equation (Margalef 1968):
Where:
R: index of species richness.
S: number of species observed.
N: number of individuals of all species observed.
Ln: natural logarithm.
If R <2.5, the species richness is considered low,
medium if R >2.5 but <4 and high if R >4.
For species diversity, Shannon-Weaver index (H’) (Shannon & Weaver 1949) was
used as follows:
Where:
H’: Shannon diversity index.
n: number of individual species.
Pi: proportion of individual species belonging to the ith species of the total number of
individuals.
If H’ <1, the diversity index is considered low,
medium if H’ >1 but <3 and high if H’ >4.
Data was checked for normality
using Shapiro-Wilk test. As it did not conform to a normal distribution, a
non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test was performed to evaluate the statistical
significance in the feeding guilds of the birds. Likewise, to assess the
statistical significance between waterbirds and non-waterbirds, a Mann-Whitney test was computed. Waterbirds included Anatidae, Ardeidae, Charadriidae, Cinclidae, Ibidorhynchidae, Motacillidae (White Wagtail Motacilla alba, White-browed Wagtail Motacilla maderaspatensis, Water Pipit Anthus spinoletta, Citrine Wagtail Motacilla citreola), Muscicapidae
(White-capped Redstart Phoenicurus leucocephalus, Plumbeous
Redstart Phoenicurus fuliginosus), Podicipedidae,
Phalacrocoracidae, Rallidae,
and Scolopacidae.
NMDS was applied to visualize and
compare species composition across seasons using the function ‘ordihull’ in vegan (Tojo
2015) and the results were presented as two-dimensional plots. The function ‘ordihull’ creates neat and convex outlines to further
depict group segregation for visual clarity (Moskowitz et al. 2020).
We removed species whose
frequency of observation was only once. NMDS is an ordination technique that
uses rank-order dissimilarity of multivariate data to ordinate sites and
species, in which similar communities are placed closer together (Duchardt et al. 2018). To this end, we used Bray-Curtis
dissimilarity, which factors in species abundance, using vegan package (Bray
& Curtis 1957).
The statistical difference in
species composition across seasons was computed by PERMANOVA using ‘adonis’ function from the vegan package (Oksanen et al. 2020). Subsequently, to evaluate which
seasons significantly differed from each other, pairwise ‘adonis’
function in R with Bonferroni correction was used (Arbizu
2020). Abundance values were square root-transformed to lower the influence of
abundant species on rare species prior to executing multivariate analysis
method (Zar 2010).
All analyses were performed by
using R Statistical Computing Software, version 4.0.2. P <0.05 was
considered statistically significant for all analyses.
RESULTS
Sampling adequacy and Species
composition
Sampling adequacy was tested
based on the number of bird species sighted during the study period, which
indicated that an asymptote was not reached. Hence, it is plausible that a
greater number of unrecorded bird species might be present at the site (Figure
2).
During a period spanning from
November 2021 to October 2022, the present study recorded a total of 7661
individual birds belonging to 80 species, 58 genera, 29 families and 11 orders
(Table 1). The greatest number of bird species detected were from order Passeriformes (52.50%) with 42
species, followed by Anseriformes (18.75%) with 15
species, Charadriiformes (7.5%) with six species, Gruiformes (5%) with four species, Pelecaniformes (3.75%) with three species, Accipitriformes, Columbiformes, Coraciiformes, Podicipediformes
with two species (2.50%) each, and Bucerotiformes and
Suliformes with only one species (1.25%) each.
Global population trends and
residential status
Of the 80 recorded bird species,
only three birds namely River Lapwing, Falcated Duck,
and Ferruginous Duck were ‘Near Threatened’ species classified based on the
IUCN Red List category. The remaining birds were species of ‘Least Concern’.
Further, the present study found out that sewerage treatment plant hosted 32 species (40%) of
birds known to have a stable population trend, 11 increasing (13.75%), 20
decreasing (25%) and 17 (21.25%) unknown on the global population trends as per
the IUCN. The study also recorded the residential status of the birds and found
31.25% (AM), 26.25% (PM), 21.25% (R), 1.25% (SV), 6.25% (V), and 13.75% (WV),
respectively (Figure 3).
Relative diversity, Bird
abundance, and Rank abundance
Table 2 shows the relative
diversity of the bird families. Subsequently, Anatidae
(15 species, RDi = 18.75) was found to be the most dominant of the total 29
families followed by Muscicapidae (eight species, RDi = 10), Motacillidae
(seven species, RDi = 8.75), Turdidae (five
species, RDi = 6.25), Leiothrichidae and Rallidae (four
species each, RDi = 5), Ardeidae
and Charadriidae (three species each, RDi = 3.75), Accipitridae, Alcedinidae, Columbidae, Corvidae, Paridae, Passeridae, Phylloscopidae, Podicipedidae, Scolopacidae and Zosteropidae (two species each, RDi
= 2.50). The poorly represented families were Ibidorhynchidae,
Aegithalidae, Cettiidae, Cinclidae, Emberizidae, Fringillidae, Laniidae, Phalacrocoracidae,
Prunellidae, Pycnonotidae
and Upupidae (one species each, RDi
= 1.25). Assessment of the bird abundance showed that three species were VC,
eight species (C), 12 species (FC), eight species (UC), 13 (Ra) and 36 species
(VR).
The rank-abundance curve had a
steep gradient for winter, autumn and spring season, respectively, denoting low
evenness of bird species (Figure 4).
During winter, Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea
ranked first
followed by White Wagtail, Common Merganser Mergus merganser, Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos,
and River Lapwing Vanellus duvaucelii. In the autumn season, White Wagtail ranked
first followed by Ruddy Shelduck, Oriental Turtle-Dove Streptopelia
orientalis, River Lapwing, and Common Sandpiper.
Spring season had White Wagtail ranked first followed by River Lapwing,
Oriental Turtle-Dove, House Crow Corvus splendens and Common Sandpiper. By contrast, the curve
for summer season was shallower in comparison to the other seasons.
Subsequently, summer witnessed higher even distribution of the birds with
Oriental Turtle-dove ranked first followed by River Lapwing, White Wagtail,
Himalayan Black Bulbul Hypsipetes leucocephalus and Eurasian Hoopoe Upupa
epops. Moreover, the curve length of summer and
autumn season are shorter compared to the winter and spring season.
Richness index and Species
diversity
Figure 5 shows season-wise Margalef’s richness index (R), Shannon-Weaver diversity
index (H’) and Pileou’s evenness index. Winter had
the highest species richness (6.29), followed by autumn (6.06), spring (5.31)
and summer (2.36), respectively. Similarly, the highest species diversity was
recorded for the spring season (2.73), followed by autumn (2.59), winter (2.38)
and summer (2.20), respectively. The highest evenness was recorded for summer
(0.76), followed by spring (0.75), autumn (0.67) and winter (0.60),
respectively.
Feeding guilds of birds and
difference between waterbirds and non-waterbirds
Figure 6 shows the abundance of
birds in different feeding guilds. A non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test was carried out
to check for statistically significant difference between the guilds. Result
revealed that there was no statistically significant difference between the
feeding guilds (x2 = 2.14, df = 3,
P = 0.543). However, insectivores were higher (median = 17.0, Q1–Q3 = 1.0–45.0)
than granivores (median = 12.0, Q1–Q3 = 8.5–126.5),
omnivores (median = 8.5, Q1–Q3 = 1.0–40.25) and carnivores (median = 4.0, Q1–Q3
= 1–7.00).
Likewise, Figure 7 shows the
relative abundance of waterbirds and non-waterbirds. A Mann-Whitney test found that there was no
statistically significant difference between the relative abundance of waterbirds and non-waterbirds (Z
= -0.2769, P = 0.78), although non waterbirds were
higher (median =
10.0, Q1 – Q3 = 1–42.50) than the waterbirds (median
= 7.0, Q1–Q3 = 2–41.0).
Comparisons of bird species
composition across seasons
The NMDS analysis revealed a
stress value of 0.146 and suggested a good fit (Clarke & Warwick 2001). The NMDS biplot
showed that most bird species overlap occurred between autumn and spring
seasons as well as summer and spring, respectively. However, the overlap did
not occur between winter and spring, winter and summer as well as between
autumn and summer (Figure 8).
To check for statistically
significant difference in the bird species composition across seasons, a
PERMANOVA test was computed and found that there was a statistically
significant difference (F3, 56 =16.732, P = 0.001).
Subsequently, pairwise
comparisons revealed a statistically significant difference between autumn and
winter (R2 = 0.347, P = 0.006, df = 1),
autumn and summer (R2 = 0.242, P = 0.006, df
= 1), autumn and spring (R2 = 0.148, P = 0.018, df
= 1), winter and summer (R2 = 0.706, P = 0.006, df
= 1), winter and spring (R2 = 0.502, P = 0.006, df
= 1) as well as spring and summer (R2 = 0.197, P = 0.006, df = 1), respectively.
DISCUSSION
To our knowledge, this is the
first study that reported on the avifaunal composition concerning species diversity, relative abundance,
feeding guilds and temporal variation from the Babesa
STP, Bhutan. Despite the rapid urban sprawl over the years, a substantial
number of avian species was observed at the study site.
In total, 80 species of birds,
representing about 12.05% of the country’s total bird species, belonging to 58
genera, 29 families and 11 orders were detected accounting for a total of 7661
individuals. The most notable and the relatively abundant bird species were
Ruddy Shelduck (Anatidae), followed by White Wagtail
(Motacillidae), River Lapwing (Charadriidae),
Oriental Turtle-dove (Columbidae), Plumbeous Redstart (Muscicapidae)
and Common Sandpiper (Scolopacidae). The findings
imply that the site is relatively rich in avian diversity and richness as
evidenced by the detection of birds that belonged to various migration status.
Therefore, the Babesa STP holds great potential as a
habitat for a diverse population of birds including vagrant, resident and
migratory waterbird species.
The family Anatidae,
which includes wintering birds such as Ruddy Shelduck, Common Shelduck Tadorna tadorna, Common Merganser, Mallard Anas platyrhynchos, Red-crested Pochard Netta rufina, Eastern Spot-billed Duck Anas zonorhyncha, Common Teal Anas crecca, Falcated
Duck Mareca falcata, Northern
Pintail Anas acuta, Northern Shoveler Spatulal clypeata, Gadwall Mareca Strepera, Eurasian Wigeon Mareca penelope, Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca, Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula, and Garganey Spatula querquedula, was found to have the highest RDi value, as previously reported by Tak
et al. (2010) and Kumar et al. (2016), which reported a high abundance of the Anatidae family among wetland avifauna communities.
These findings further support
the significance of the study site as an important area for avian biodiversity.
In the present study, the wintering ducks were mostly seen to inhabit open
water and avoided thick vegetation presumably because of limited space and
minimal foraging scope (King & Wrubleski 1998;
Benoit & Askins 1999).
We observed a large flock of
Ruddy Shelduck foraging, resting and roosting at the study site. We also
observed Common Merganser foraging in the treatment plant twice. Some
conceivable reasons for the substantial number of wintering ducks could be the
availability of food resources and size of the wetland (Afdhal
et al. 2012; Murray 2014), minimal interference, physical features of wetland
habitats (Chatterjee et al. 2020), lack of hunting zones and predators (Kloskowski et al. 2009) at the study site. However, we
cannot dismiss the role that the fresh water ecosystem might have played in
attracting these birds, especially Ruddy Shelduck, given its close proximity to
the STP, or vice versa, as we observed them shuttling between the two during
our field visits.
Further, high invertebrate
production has also been suggested as one of the key drivers for the occurrence
and abundance of waterbirds (Augustin et al. 1999),
which could have provided favorable foraging opportunities. Similarly,
shorebirds and waders such as Common Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus, River Lapwing, Grey-headed
Lapwing Vanellus cinereus and Long-billed Plover Charadrius placidus
were seen
confined to the edges of the STP and on the banks either resting or exploring
food resources such as insects, invertebrates, worms and seeds.
The aforementioned findings are
in congruence with previous literatures (Muhammad et al. 2018; Luo et al. 2019;
Holbech & Cobbinah
2021). Taken together, the results highlights that the Babesa
STP is a critical stopover ground and wintering site for many migratory birds
which spends as long as six months at the site prior to their summer migration.
Perhaps, artificial wetlands have been acknowledged as important migration
routes for numerous diving ducks (Kennedy & Mayer 2002). Altogether, that
the artificial wetlands hold potential value and can be of importance for
migratory waterbird species was reported by Giosa et al. (2018).
Moreover, three ‘Near Threatened’
waterbird species, namely River Lapwing, Falcated Duck, and Ferruginous Duck, occurred at the study
site. The River Lapwing occurred throughout the study period while the Falcated and Ferruginous ducks occurred only during winter
(February) and spring (March) months. This indicates that constructed wetlands
such as Babesa STP play an indispensable role in
conservation and provide important sanctuaries even for threatened species.
Regarding the non-waterbirds, the richness and diversity could be attributed
to resources, surrounding habitat and cover along with availability of food
(van Biervliet et al. 2020). Indeed, on many
occasions we observed non-waterbirds, especially
Grey-backed Shrike Lanius tephronotus and Common Stonechat Saxicola maurus, feed on insects, seeds and
fruits, and Eurasian Hoopoe Upupa epops forage on edges of the STP as it
afforded easy availability of prey.
Likewise, availability of the
trees and plants within the vicinity of the study site could have been central
to their large assemblages because we observed many of them roost on the
branches of the trees and plants. Consistent with this, plant diversity has
been shown to exert a positive influence on the bird richness and diversity
(Fontana et al. 2011) as it affords microhabitats for roosting, nesting and
feeding (Canterbury et al. 1999; Soderstrom &
Part 1999).
Interestingly, despite the large
avian assemblage there was not any statistically significant difference
observed between non-waterbirds and waterbirds, which implies that it might afford a suitable
habitat for a large number of avian species. The presence of vegetation for
roosting and nesting, open water for foraging and swimming as well as the large
occurrence of food resources makes the site attractive for the birds. Taken
together, the findings suggest that the study site may function as an important
ecological niche for various bird species, including both waterbirds
and non-waterbirds.
In contrast, the current study
observed statistically significant difference in bird composition between the
seasons, in agreement with the findings of Kopij
& Paxton (2018). Particularly, the largest differences in bird composition
were observed between winter and summer, and between winter and spring. These
findings indicate that the dissimilarities in bird compositions across seasons
are particularly conspicuous between the dry and monsoon seasons, as well as
between the dry and pre-monsoon seasons.
Further, spring and autumn were
found to have the highest avian diversity while winter and autumn had the
highest species richness compared to spring and summer, respectively. This may
be due to seasonal changes in food and resource availability, competition among
related species, and predator avoidance strategies (Morin 2011), which may lead
to birds utilizing different food sources that vary in quantity and
accessibility over time. Additionally, the allocation of resources over time
may aid in the coexistence of avian species by allowing for the exploitation of
shared resources at different times (Kopij &
Paxton 2018). Also, variations in the population and peak abundance of birds
across seasons may suggest the migratory patterns of the birds and reveal the
direction of migration (Nisbet 1957).
With regard to the feeding
guilds, there was no statistically significant difference between the guilds.
This statistically insignificant result may be due to the occurrence of a
variety of shrubs, flowering trees and diverse array of diets such as fishes,
amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and aquatic invertebrates resulting from a large
fertility of sewerage treatment plant (Rajpar &
Zakaria 2013; Mukhopadhyay & Mazumdar 2019) culminating in the attraction
of different guilds. The diversity of feeding guild observed among birds in the
vicinity of the study site certainly suggests that it may be an important avian
habitat to support various foraging behaviors.
CONCLUSION
Overall, the present study
provides a comprehensive assessment of the avian biodiversity present at the Babesa STP. The results reveal that the site harbors a
great variety of bird species, including vagrant, resident and migrant birds as
well as birds of various feeding guilds. These findings are particularly
remarkable given the relatively small size of the study site. Additionally, the
findings also underscore the ecological significance of man-made habitats in
reinforcing biodiversity, since such ancillary habitats can afford crucial
resources and support for a diverse array of species, and act as winter sojourn
for migratory birds.
In light of the findings of this
study, it is recommended that concerned authorities and policymakers take
further action to safeguard the site as it is important for bird conservation.
For instance, a valuable intervention measure for the area may be fencing to
keep away potential predators such as stray dogs, which are quite common in the
area. Additionally, certain points may be identified as photography spots to
minimize human-induced disturbance to the birds. Otherwise, apart from serving
as a suitable area for recreation, bird watching and scientific study, the site
can also be a great source of educational opportunities for students, teachers,
and the general public interested in learning about the features and importance
of constructed wetlands in sustaining wildlife habitats and biodiversity
(Semeraro et al. 2015). Further research is warranted, especially concerning the
underlying factors that trigger large assemblages of birds at the site.
Table 1. Family, order and
species recorded from November 2021 to October 2022 from the study site.
Family |
Order |
Common name |
Scientific name |
Muscicapidae |
Passeriformes Passeriformes Passeriformes Passeriformes Passeriformes Passeriformes Passeriformes Passeriformes |
Plumbeous Redstart Hodgson’s Redstart Aberrant Bush-warbler White-capped Redstart Slaty-backed Flycatcher Common Stonechat Chestnut-bellied Rock-Thrush Verditer Flycatcher |
Phoenicurus fuliginosus Phoenicurus hodgsoni Horornis flavolivaceus Phoenicurus leucocephalus Ficedula erithacus Saxicola maurus Monticola rufiventris Eumyias thalassinus |
Motacillidae |
Passeriformes Passeriformes Passeriformes Passeriformes Passeriformes Passeriformes Passeriformes |
White Wagtail Olive-backed Pipit White-browed Wagtail Grey Wagtail Water Pipit Rosy Pipit Citrine Wagtail |
Motacilla alba Anthus hodgsoni Motacilla maderaspatensis Motacilla cinerea Anthus spinoletta Anthus roseatus Motacilla citreola |
Leiothrichidae |
Passeriformes Passeriformes Passeriformes Passeriformes |
Chestnut-crowned Laughingthrush Rufous Sibia Red-billed Leiothrix Chestnut-tailed Minla |
Trochalopteron erythrocephalum Heterophasia capistrata Leiothrix lutea Chrysominla strigula |
Corvidae |
Passeriformes Passeriformes |
Large-billed Crow House Crow |
Corvus macrorhynchos Corvus splendens |
Turdidae |
Passeriformes Passeriformes Passeriformes Passeriformes Passeriformes |
Blue Whistling-thrush Black-throated Thrush Alpine Thrush White-collared Blackbird Red-throated Thrush |
Myophonus caeruleus Turdus atrogularis Zoothera mollissima Turdus albocinctus Turdus ruficollis |
Zosteropidae |
Passeriformes Passeriformes |
Indian White-eye Whiskered Yuhina |
Zosterops palpebrosus Yuhina flavicollis |
Paridae |
Passeriformes Passeriformes |
Green-backed Tit Coal Tit |
Parus monticolus Periparus ater |
Passeridae |
Passeriformes Passeriformes |
Eurasian Tree Sparrow Russet Sparrow |
Passer montanus Passer cinnamomeus |
Phylloscopidae |
Passeriformes Passeriformes |
Common Chiffchaff Sulphur-bellied Warbler |
Phylloscopus collybita Phylloscopus griseolus |
Pycnonotidae |
Passeriformes |
Himalayan Black Bulbul |
Hypsipetes leucocephalus |
Aegithalidae |
Passeriformes |
Rufous-fronted Bushtit |
Aegithalos iouschistos |
Cettiidae |
Passeriformes |
Aberrant Bush Warbler |
Horornis flavolivaceus |
Emberizidae |
Passeriformes |
Little Bunting |
Emberiza pusilla |
Fringillidae |
Passeriformes |
Yellow-breasted Greenfinch |
Chloris spinoides |
Cinclidae |
Passeriformes |
Brown Dipper |
Cinclus pallasii |
Laniidae |
Passeriformes |
Grey-backed Shrike |
Lanius tephronotus |
Prunellidae |
Passeriformes |
Rufous-breasted Accentor |
Prunella strophiata |
Anatidae |
Anseriformes Anseriformes Anseriformes Anseriformes Anseriformes Anseriformes Anseriformes Anseriformes Anseriformes Anseriformes Anseriformes Anseriformes Anseriformes Anseriformes Anseriformes |
Ruddy Shelduck Common Shelduck Common Merganser Mallard Red-crested Pochard Eastern Spot-billed Duck Common Teal Falcated Duck Northern Pintail Northern Shoveler Gadwall Eurasian Wigeon Ferruginous Duck Tufted Duck Garganey |
Tadorna ferruginea Tadorna tadorna Mergus merganser Anas platyrhynchos Netta rufina Anas zonorhyncha Anas crecca Mareca falcata Anas acuta Spatula clypeata Mareca Strepera Mareca penelope Aythya nyroca Aythya fuligula Spatula querquedula |
Alcedinidae |
Coraciiformes |
Crested Kingfisher Common Kingfisher |
Megaceryle lugubris Alcedo atthis |
Charadriidae |
Charadriiformes Charadriiformes Charadriiformes |
River Lapwing Long-billed Plover Grey-headed Lapwing |
Vanellus duvaucelii Charadrius placidus Vanellus cinereus |
Scolopacidae |
Charadriiformes Charadriiformes |
Common Sandpiper Green Sandpiper |
Actitis hypoleucos Tringa ochropus |
Ibidorhynchidae |
Charadriiformes |
Ibisbill |
Ibidorhyncha struthersii |
Columbidae |
Columbiformes Columbiformes |
Oriental Turtle-dove Rock Pigeon |
Streptopelia orientalis Columba livia |
Accipitridae |
Accipitriformes Accipitriformes |
Long-legged Buzzard Himalayan Buzzard |
Buteo rufinus Buteo refectus |
Rallidae |
Gruiformes Gruiformes Gruiformes Gruiformes |
Eurasian Coot Eurasian Moorhen White-breasted Waterhen Black-tailed Crake |
Fulica atra Gallinula chloropus Amaurornis phoenicurus Zapornia bicolor |
Ardeidae |
Pelecaniformes Pelecaniformes Pelecaniformes |
Indian Pond-Heron Cattle Egret Little Egret |
Ardeola grayii Bubulcus ibis Egretta garzetta
|
Podicipedidae |
Podicipediformes Podicipediformes |
Black-necked Grebe Great Crested Grebe |
Podiceps nigricollis Podiceps cristatus |
Phalacrocoracidae |
Suliformes |
Great Cormorant |
Phalacrocorax carbo |
Upupidae |
Bucerotiformes |
Common Hoopoe |
Upupa epops |
Table 2. The number of species in
each avian family and their relative diversity.
Avian families |
Number of species |
Relative diversity (RDi) |
Accipitridae |
2 |
2.50 |
Aegithalidae |
1 |
1.25 |
Alcedinidae |
2 |
2.50 |
Anatidae |
15 |
18.75 |
Ardeidae |
3 |
3.75 |
Cettiidae |
1 |
1.25 |
Charadriidae |
3 |
3.75 |
Cinclidae |
1 |
1.25 |
Columbidae |
2 |
2.50 |
Corvidae |
2 |
2.50 |
Emberizidae |
1 |
1.25 |
Fringillidae |
1 |
1.25 |
Ibidorhynchidae |
1 |
1.25 |
Laniidae |
1 |
1.25 |
Leiothrichidae |
4 |
5.00 |
Motacillidae |
7 |
8.75 |
Muscicapidae |
8 |
10.00 |
Paridae |
2 |
2.50 |
Passeridae |
2 |
2.50 |
Phalacrocoracidae |
1 |
1.25 |
Phylloscopidae |
2 |
2.50 |
Podicipedidae |
2 |
2.50 |
Prunellidae |
1 |
1.25 |
Pycnonotidae |
1 |
1.25 |
Rallidae |
4 |
5.00 |
Scolopacidae |
2 |
2.50 |
Turdidae |
5 |
6.25 |
Upupidae |
1 |
1.25 |
Zosteropidae |
2 |
2.50 |
For
figures - - click here for full PDF
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