Avifauna of Chamba District, Himachal Pradesh, India with emphasis on Kalatop-Khajjiar Wildlife Sanctuary and its surroundings

Main Article Content

Tariq Ahmed Shah
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5015-4716
Vishal Ahuja
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5564-176X
Martina Anandam
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5501-5774
Chelmala Srinivasulu
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4331-8580

Abstract

The avifaunal diversity of Chamba District of Himachal Pradesh with emphasis on Kalatop-Khajjiar Wildlife Sanctuary and its surrounding was observed for a period of one year between 2012 and 2013.  We observed 95 species of birds belonging to 12 orders and 40 families.  Of this diversity, 41 species were abundant to common, 34 occasional and 20 rare.  Most species were resident (83 species, including two species whose population increased during winters) and the rest were migrants (including nine winter migrating species and three summer migrating species).  A total of 302 species of birds have been reported from Chamba District between 1884 and present. Analysis of recent published literature in conjunction with the present study reveals that 178 species of birds have been reported from Chamba District since 2000.  The present study reports 11 new records for the district.

 

Article Details

Section
Communications
Author Biographies

Tariq Ahmed Shah, Field Research Division, Wildlife Information Liaison Development (WILD) Society, 96 Kumudham Nagar, Vilankurichi Road, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641035, India and Natural History Museum and Wildlife Biology & Taxonomy Lab, Department of Zoology, University College of Science, Osmania University, Hyderabad, Telangana State 500007, India

Tariq A. Shah worked as a researcher in the Himalayan Langur Project funded by CLP, MBZ and RSG and is presently a doctoral student working on the molecular phylogeny of Rhinopomatids of India at Department of Zoology, Osmania University. 

 

Vishal Ahuja, Field Research Division, Wildlife Information Liaison Development (WILD) Society, 96 Kumudham Nagar, Vilankurichi Road, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641035, India

Vishal Ahuja worked as a researcher in the Himalayan Langur Project funded by CLP, MBZ and RSG and is presently working as a Researcher in the ‘conserving livelihood and Semnopithecus ajax project’ funded by CLP. 

 

Martina Anandam, Field Research Division, Wildlife Information Liaison Development (WILD) Society, 96 Kumudham Nagar, Vilankurichi Road, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641035, India

Martina Anandam was a researcher with WILD and worked with the Himalayan Langur Project. Her work centers primarily on langurs and community conservation in the Himalayan biosphere.

 

Chelmala Srinivasulu, Field Research Division, Wildlife Information Liaison Development (WILD) Society, 96 Kumudham Nagar, Vilankurichi Road, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641035, India Natural History Museum and Wildlife Biology & Taxonomy Lab, Department of Zoology, University College of Science, Osmania University, Hyderabad, Telangana State 500007, India Systematics, Ecology & Conservation Laboratory, Zoo Outreach Organization (ZOO), 96 Kumudham Nagar, Vilankurichi Road, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641035, India

C. Srinivasulu heads the Wildlife Biology and Taxonomy Lab at Department of Zoology, Osmania University works on molecular phylogenetics, taxonomy, ecology and biogeography of tetrapods of South Asia.

 

References

Ali, S. & S.D. Ripley (1983a). Handbook of Birds of India and Pakistan. 2nd Edition. Vol. 1 to 10. Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 3121pp.

Ali, S. & S.D. Ripley (1983b). A Pictorial Guide to the Birds of the Indian Sub-continent. Bombay Natural History Society & Oxford University Press, Bombay, 183pp.

Ali, S. (1949). Indian Hill Birds. Oxford University Press, Bombay, 188pp.

Champion, H.G. & S.K. Seth (1968). A Revised Survey of the Forest Types of India. Govt. of India Press, New Delhi, xxvii+404pp.

Gill, F. & D. Donsker (Eds) (2014). IOC World Bird List (v 4.1). doi: 10.14344/IOC.ML.4.1. Accessed in March 2014 at: http://www.worldbirdnames.org/

Grimmett, R., C. Inskipp & T. Inskipp (1999). Pocket Guide to the Birds of the Indian Subcontinent. Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 384pp.

Littledale, H. (1898). Camping in Chamba. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 11(3): 482–505.

Marshal, C.H.T. (1884). Notes on the Birds of Chamba, in the N.W Himalayas. Ibis 26(4): 404–425; http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1474-919X.1884.tb01175.x

Mahabal, A. (1992). Avifauna of Chamba District (Himachal Pradesh) with emphasis on their altitudinal distribution. Pavo 30(1&2): 17–25.

Manakadan, R. & A. Pittie (2001). Standardised common and scientific names of the birds of the Indian subcontinent. Buceros 6(1): 1–37.

MacKinnon, S. & K. Phillipps (1993). A Field Guide to the Birds of Borneo, Sumatra, Java and Bali. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 491pp.

Pandey, S. (1993). Pheasant surveys and the conservation of protected areas in the Upper Beas Valley, Himachal Pradesh, India, pp. 58–61. In: Jenkins, D. (ed.). Pheasants in Asia 1992. World Pheasant Association, Reading, UK.

Gregory, R.D., D. Noble, R. Field, J. Marchant, M. Raven & D.W. Gibbons (2003). Using birds as indicators of biodiversity. Ornis Hungarica 12&13: 11–24.

Rasmussen, P.C. &. J.C. Anderton (2005). Birds of South Asia. The Ripley Guide. 2 Volumes (Vol. 1 - Field Guide and Vol. 2 - Attributes and Status). Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC, USA and Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain. Vol. 1, 378pp. and Vol. 2, 683pp.

Singh, V. & H.S. Banyal (2013). Avian fauna of Khajjiar Lake, District Chamba, Himachal Pradesh, India. Proceedings of the Zoological Society 66(2): 130–136; http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12595-012-0049-9

Singh, A.P. (2011). Birds of the upper catchment of Ravi River, Chamba District, Himachal Pradesh, India. Indian Birds 7(4): 97–103.

Tak, P.C. (1987). On a rare sighting of Western Tragopan (Tragopan melanocephalus) in district Chamba, Himachal Pradesh, India. Cheetal 28(4): 42–45.

Thakur, M.L., R. Paliwal, R., P.C. Tak, H.S. Mehta & V.K. Mattu (2002). Birds of Kalatop-Khajjiar Wildlife Sanctuary, Chamba (H.P.). Cheetal 41(3&4): 29–36.

Thakur, M.L. (2008). Studies on status and diversity of avifauna in Himachal Pradesh. Ph.D. Thesis. Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla, India, 306pp.

Thakur, M.L., V.K. Mattu, H. Lal, V.N. Sharma, H. Raj & V. Thakur (2010). Avifauna of Arki Hills, Solan (Himachal Pradesh), India. Indian Birds 5(6): 162–166.

Wildlife Institute of India (2015). National Wildlife Database as on 06 October, 2015. Available online at http://www.wiienvis.nic.in/Database/Protected_Area_854.aspx

Most read articles by the same author(s)

1 2 > >>