An avifaunal checklist of the Bani Wildlife Sanctuary, Jammu & Kashmir, India
Main Article Content
Abstract
Protected areas are important for biodiversity conservation as they offer suitable habitats and protection from anthropogenic activities that harm wildlife. Establishing additional protected areas such as National parks, Wildlife sanctuaries, and Biosphere reserves reduces the threat to a species compared to non-protected areas. Before designating an area as protected, it’s crucial to identify which species are threatened and require urgent conservation efforts. The present study was undertaken in the Bani Wildlife Sanctuary, which falls in the western Himalayas, from March 2021 to February 2022 to compile an avifaunal checklist of the sanctuary. The checklist was created by conducting systematic field surveys and opportunistic bird sightings. A total of 135 bird species belonging to 45 families were recorded during the present study. The family Muscicapidae, represented by 17 species, dominates the list. Our study confirmed that the Bani Wildlife Sanctuary supports a rich avifaunal community with three species Western Tragopan Tragopan melanocephalus, Cheer Pheasant Catreus wallichi, and Bearded Vulture Gypus barbatus classified as Threatened in the global Red List by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Article Details
![Creative Commons License](http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by/4.0/88x31.png)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors own the copyright to the articles published in JoTT. This is indicated explicitly in each publication. The authors grant permission to the publisher Wildlife Information Liaison Development (WILD) Society to publish the article in the Journal of Threatened Taxa. The authors recognize WILD as the original publisher, and to sell hard copies of the Journal and article to any buyer. JoTT is registered under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY), which allows authors to retain copyright ownership. Under this license the authors allow anyone to download, cite, use the data, modify, reprint, copy and distribute provided the authors and source of publication are credited through appropriate citations (e.g., Son et al. (2016). Bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) of the southeastern Truong Son Mountains, Quang Ngai Province, Vietnam. Journal of Threatened Taxa 8(7): 8953–8969. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.2785.8.7.8953-8969). Users of the data do not require specific permission from the authors or the publisher.
Funding data
References
Acharya, B.K., N.J. Sanders, L. Vijayan & B. Chettri (2011). Elevational gradients in bird diversity in the Eastern Himalaya: an evaluation of distribution patterns and their underlying mechanisms. PloS one 6(12): e29097. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0029097 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0029097
Ali, S., S.D. Ripley & J.H. Dick (1987). Compact handbook of the birds of India and Pakistan: together with those of Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka. OUP India; Compact 2 Revised edition, 890 pp.
Browder, S.F., D.H. Johnson & I.J. Ball (2002). Assemblages of breeding birds as indicators of grassland condition. Ecological Indicators 2(3): 257–270. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1470-160X(02)00060-2 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1470-160X(02)00060-2
Byju, H., N. Raveendran & S. Ravichandran (2023). Distribution of avifauna on twenty-one islands of the Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 15(2): 22574–22585. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.8112.15.2.22574-22585 DOI: https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.8112.15.2.22574-22585
Chettri, N., E. Sharma & D.C. Deb (2001). Bird community structure along a trekking corridor of Sikkim Himalaya: a conservation perspective. Biological Conservation 102(1): 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0006-3207(01)00092-1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0006-3207(01)00092-1
Collar, N.J. & P. Andrew (1988). Birds to watch. International Council for Bird Preservation, 303 pp.
Daniels, R.R., M. Hegde, N.V. Joshi & M. Gadgil (1991). Assigning conservation value: a case study from India. Conservation Biology 5(4): 464–475. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1739.1991.tb00353.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1739.1991.tb00353.x
Dar, G.H. & A.A. Khuroo (eds.) (2020). Biodiversity of the Himalaya: Jammu and Kashmir State (Vol. 18). Springer, Singapore. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-32-9174-4
Fitzpatrick, J.W. & I.J. Lovette (eds.) (2016). Handbook of Bird Biology. John Wiley & Sons, 736 pp.
French, K (1999). Spatial variability in species composition in birds and insects. Journal of Insect Conservation 3: 183–189. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009691510943
Graham, C.H., A.C. Carnaval, C.D. Cadena, K.R. Zamudio, T.E. Roberts, J.L. Parra & N.J. Sanders (2014). The origin and maintenance of montane diversity: integrating evolutionary and ecological processes. Ecography 37(8): 711–719. https://doi.org/10.1111/ecog.00578 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/ecog.00578
Grimmett, R., C. Inskipp & T. Inskipp (2016). Birds of the Indian Subcontinent: India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and the Maldives. Bloomsbury Publishing, London 528 pp.
Hilaluddin (1997). Faunal Diversity, pp 64–83. In: Ahmedullah, M. (ed.). Biodiversity of Jammu and Kashmir - A Profile. IGCMC. World Wide Fund for Nature, New Delhi.
IUCN (2022). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2021–23. www.iucnredlist.org. Accessed on 23-December-2023
Kahl, S., C.M. Wood, M. Eibl & H. Klinck (2021). BirdNET: A deep learning solution for avian diversity monitoring. Ecological Informatics 61: 101236. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoinf.2021.101236 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoinf.2021.101236
Kati, V.I. & C.H. Sekercioglu (2006). Diversity, ecological structure, and conservation of the landbird community of Dadia reserve, Greece. Diversity and Distributions 12(5): 620–629. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1366-9516.2006.00288.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1366-9516.2006.00288.x
Klein, A.M., B.E. Vaissière, J.H. Cane, I. Steffan-Dewenter, S.A. Cunningham, C. Kremen & T. Tscharntke (2007). Importance of pollinators in changing landscapes for world crops. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 274(1608): 303–313. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2006.3721 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2006.3721
Llanos, F.A., M. Failla, G.J. García, P.M. Giovine, M. Carbajal, P.M. González, D.P. Barreto, P. Quillfeldt & J.F. Masello (2011). Birds from the endangered Monte, the steppes and coastal biomes of the province of Río Negro, northern Patagonia, Argentina. Check List 7(6): 782. https://doi.org/10.15560/11025 DOI: https://doi.org/10.15560/11025
Loiselle, B.A. & J.G. Blake (1991). Temporal variation in birds and fruits along an elevational gradient in Costa Rica. Ecology 72: 180–193. https://doi.org/10.2307/1938913 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/1938913
Lone, A.N., B.A. Bhat & K. Ahmad (2024). Population status and habitat use of White-crested Kalij Pheasant Lophura leucomelanos hamiltoni (J.E. Gray, 1829) in the Limber Wildlife Sanctuary, Jammu & Kashmir, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 16(1): 24550–24556. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.8602.16.1.24550-24556 DOI: https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.8602.16.1.24550-24556
Loreau, M., S. Naeem, P. Inchausti, J. Bengtsson, J.P. Grime, A. Hector & D.A. Wardle (2001). Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning: current knowledge and future challenges. Science 294(5543): 804–808. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1064088 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1064088
MacKinnon, S. & K. Phillipps (1993). A Field Guide to the Birds of Borneo, Sumatra, Java and Bali. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 491 pp. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198540359.001.0001
Mahmood, T., L.U. Khan & M. Naeem (2021). Diversity and abundance of Avifauna of Manglot Wildlife Park, Nowshera District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Pakistan Journal of Zoology 53(5): 1623–1630. https://doi.org/10.17582/journal.pjz/20191101061139 DOI: https://doi.org/10.17582/journal.pjz/20191101061139
Malik, W.S., I. Quyoom & T. Sheikh (2023). Study on avian diversity in the forests of district Ramban, Jammu and Kashmir, India. Munis Entomology and Zoology 18(2): 1723–1735.
McComb, B., B. Zuckerberg, D. Vesely & C. Jordan (2010). Monitoring Animal Populations and Their Habitats: A Practitioner’s Guide. CRC Press, Boca Raton, 298 pp. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781420070583 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1201/9781420070583
Norris, D.R. & P.P. Marra (2007). Seasonal interactions, habitat quality and population dynamics in migratory birds. The Condor 109(3): 535–547. https://doi.org/10.1093/condor/109.3.535 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/condor/109.3.535
Pearce‐Higgins, J.W., S.M. Eglington B. Martay & D.E. Chamberlain (2015). Drivers of climate change impacts on bird communities. Journal of Animal Ecology 84(4): 943– 954. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.12364
Perrow, M.R. & A.J. Davy (2002). Handbook of Ecological Restoration (Vol. 2). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 624 pp. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511549984
Peterson, A.T., L.G. Ball & K.W. Brady (2000). Distribution of the birds of the Philippines: biogeography and conservation priorities. Bird Conservation International 10(2): 149–167. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0959270900000149
Piersma, T. & A. Lindström (2004). Migrating shorebirds as integrative sentinels of global environmental change. Ibis 146(s1): 61–69. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1474-919X.2004.00329.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1474-919X.2004.00329.x
Praveen, J. & R. Jayapal (2022). Taxonomic updates to the checklists of birds of India, and the South Asian region. Indian Birds 18(1): 1–3.
Praveen, J., R. Jayapal & A. Pittie (2019). Updates to the checklists of birds of India, and the South Asian region—2019. Indian Birds 15(1): 1– 9.
Price, T.D., D. Mohan, D.T. Tietze, D.M. Hooper, C.D.L. Orme & P.C. Rasmussen (2011). Determinants of northerly range limits along the Himalayan bird diversity gradient. The American Naturalist 178(S1): S97–S108. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/661926
Price, T., J. Zee, K. Jamdar & N. Jamdar (2003). Bird species diversity along the Himalaya: a comparison of Himachal Pradesh with Kashmir. Journal Bombay Natural History Society 100(2&3): 394–410.
Quyoom, I., B.A. Bhat, Z.H. Najar & S. Tanveer (2023). Winter diet composition of Himalayan serow Capricornis sumatraensis thar in Bani Wildlife Sanctuary: implications for the conservation of Quercus semecarpifolia forest. Biologia 79: 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11756-023-01575-4 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11756-023-01575-4
Rahmani, A.R. (2012). Threatened Birds of India-their Conservation Requirements. Indian Bird Conservation Network: Bombay Natural History Society, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and Birdlife International. Oxford University Press, xvi + 864 pp.
Islam, M.Z. & A.R. Rahmani (2004). Important Bird Areas in India: Priority Sites for Conservation. Indian Bird Conservation Network, Bombay Natural History Society, and Birdlife International, UK, xvii + 1133 pp.
Sharma, N., S.K. Rana, P. Raina, R. Amir & M.A. Kichloo (2018). An annotated checklist of the birds of upper Chenab catchment, Jammu & Kashmir, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 10(7): 11869–11894. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.3464.10.7.11869-11894 DOI: https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.3464.10.7.11869-11894
Singh, S., A. Kothari & P. Oande (eds.) (1990). Directory of National Parks and Sanctuaries in Himachal Pradesh. Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi, 164 pp.
Singh, S.P. (2002). Western Himalayan Ecoregional Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan. Prepared under the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, India.
Sohil, A. & N. Sharma (2019). A preliminary survey of bird communities around Jammu (Jammu & Kashmir). Biological Forum 11(2): 27–49.
Stattersfield, A.J. (1998). Endemic Bird Areas of the World. Priorities for Biodiversity Conservation. Bird Life International, Cambridge, UK.
Suhail, I., R. Ahmad & K. Ahmad (2020). Avifaunal diversity in Jammu and Kashmir State. Biodiversity of the Himalaya: Jammu and Kashmir State. Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd., 897–931 pp. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-32-9174-4_35
Thakur, M.L. (2008). Studies on status and diversity of avifauna in Himachal Pradesh. PhD Thesis. Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla, India, 306 pp.
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.