Composition, diversity and foraging guilds of avifauna in agricultural landscapes In Panipat, Haryana, India

Avian communities are very good indicators of integrity and stability of ecosystem structure and functions. Assessment of bird assemblages in different landscapes is therefore emphasized from an environmental monitoring viewpoint. Bird surveys were carried out from April 2015 to March 2016 to document the avian species assemblage of agricultural landscapes in Panipat, Haryana, India. Point-transect in amalgam with opportunistic encounter methods were used to collect data. A total of 101 bird species under 44 families and 15 orders were recorded from the study area. The bird species richness was highest for the order Passeriformes (48), followed by Pelecaniformes (15), Charadriiformes (6), and the remaining 12 orders. Ardeidae was the most diverse bird family in the study area. Among the recorded avifauna, 77 species were residents, 18 species were winter migrants and six species were summer migrants. Species richness was recorded to be highest in the month of January compared to the remaining months. Species richness, abundance, diversity and evenness differed significantly (P < 0.05) between seasons as well as among the agricultural landscapes. Most bird species were insectivorous (36) followed by carnivorous (26), omnivorous (24), granivorous (9), frugivorous (5) and nectarivorous (1). Painted Stork Mycteria leucocephala, Black-necked Stork Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus, Black-headed Ibis Threskiornis melanocephalus, and Alexandrine Parakeet Psittacula eupatria are four Near Threatened species found in this region. Interestingly, five species having globally declining population trends are still common in the study area. The observed richness of avian species in the study area calls for further studies on habitat preference, seasonal changes, nest ecology, and breeding biology to understand species specific roles of birds in agro-ecosystems.