Conservation of birds in India_Biodiversity... · Conservation of Birds in India: Issues &...

Bugun Liocichla (Liocichla bugunorum)

Conservation of Birds in

India:

Issues & Challenges

Dhananjai Mohan

IFS, Professor, WII

Structure

• Salient features of Indian avifauna

– History of ornithology

• Significance of birds

• Birds as a ecotourism resource

• Conservation issues

• Monitoring birds

• Birds as indicators

Total species richness

Threatened species richness

Endemic species richness

Orme et al. 2005

Indian Avifauna: Diversity

• 1303 (of 10448) species in the country (IOC,

2011)

– Includes ca.100 more added by Rasmussen and

Anderton (2005) in the subcontinent

• ~ 13% of world’s avifaunal diversity

• 27 orders (of 40) and 110 families (of 228)

• 976 breeding birds

• South-Eastern Himalayas having 570

breeding birds in 250X250 km grid

Indian Avifauna: Endemism

• In India, there are only 78 species, i.e. 6%

• Indian subcontinent also has a markedly low number of endemic genera (12), out of which only two are confined to India (viz., Heteroglaux & Ophrysia).

• Major families having significant representation in Indian Sub-continent – Tree-creepers (71%)

– Accentors (62%)

– Laughing Thrushes (55%)

– Ioras (50%)

– Barbets (37%)

– Drongos (38%)

Species richness and endemism

Indian avifauna: influences

• Influenced by Palearctic, Ethiopian and

Oriental regions

• Oriental region has maximum influence

– Indo-Malayan

– South China

New and Re-Discoveries

• Nepal Wren Babbler (1991)

• Bugun Liocichla (2006)

• Large-billed Reed Warbler (2007)

• Rusty throated (Mishmi) Wren Babbler (2004)

• Forest Owlet (1997)

• Jerdon’s Courser (1986)

Why such a diversity

• Diverse habitats – Himalayan snows

to tropical oceans

– Tropical deserts to Wet evergreen forests

– Trans-Himalayan wetlands to largest mangrove systems of the world

• 10 bio-geographic zones – Rodgers and

Panwar (1988)

Diverse habitats

• Trans Himalayas

– High mountains, deep valleys, flat and arid plains

– Wetlands (often brackish): Breeding of birds like

Black-necked Crane, Great crested Grebe, Bar-

headed Goose, Ruddy Shelduck

– Palearctic infuence

– Mainly in Ladakh and Lahul-spiti

Diverse habitats

• Himalayan region

– Immigration

– Very low speciation within (in situ) the Himalayas

– Speciation events attributed to vicariance

between Himalayas and China/Southeast Asia

(Orient)

Diverse habitats

• Himalayan region

• Great variation of

diversity from east to

west Himalayas:

(Half's from east to

west) – Ecological hypothesis

– Historical hypothesis

• Altitudinal gradient

and birds

5000 4000 3000 2000 1000 0 0

10

20

30

40

50

speciesE

speciesW

Data from "wiianalysis"

elevation (m)

Specie

s n

um

bers

y = 29.266 + 1.5860e-2x - 6.8090e-6x^2 + 2.2170e-10x^3 R^2 = 0.828

• The Indian Desert – Great Indian and Houbara Bustard

– Flamingoes

• Semi-arid Region – Dry-deciduous forests, scrub and grasslands

– Lesser Florican, Green Munia, Malabar and Sykes crested Larks

Diverse habitats

• Western Ghats – Comparatively poorer compared to similar

forests of E.Him.

– Disjunct distribution of many species • With Eastern Himalayas Satpura hypothesis

• With-in Western Ghats

– 16 endemic species

Diverse habitats

• The Deccan Peninsula

– Dry deciduous forests, scrub

– Forest Owlet, Painted Bush Quail, Painted

Partridge, Green Munia, Yellow throated Bulbul

• Eastern Ghats

– Jerdon’s Courser, Yellow throated Bulbul

– Tree Sparrow, Little Spiderhunter

– Yellow browed Bulbul, White bellied Treepie

Diverse habitats

• The Gangetic plains

– Rich in wetlands and dependent birds

– Large number of marsh dependent/tall

grassland birds

– Striated and bristled Grassbirds, Swamp

Francolin, Bengal Florican, Finn’s Weaver

• The North-east India

– EBA with 3 RR species

– Manipur Bush Quail, Greater Adjudant,

Diverse habitats

• Islands

– Andaman: 13 endemics

– Nicobar: 9 endemics

– Nicobar Megapode, Narcondam Hornbill, Edible nest Swiftlet

• Coasts

– Extensive but neglected

– Chilika, Bhitarkanika, Point Calimere

– Waders, Flamingoes

Diverse habitats

Some interesting distribution

patterns

• Entire subcontinent

• Himalayas

• Western Ghats (+ SL)

• Him + WG

• Him+ WG + Satpuras

+ EG

Vedic times - 250 Sanskrit bird names Brood-parasitism in the Koel mentioned in Rig Veda

Latitudinal migration of Oriental White Storks in Tamil Sangam

literature

Mughal naturalist traditions - paintings, hunting, falconry

and documentation Moguls paintings and memoirs esp. of Babur and Jehangir often

contained fine details on behaviour of garden birds.

1834 Adolphe Delessert ‘Souveniers d'un Voyage dans

L'Indes’

1752 J. Gideon Loten became Governor of Ceylon

1781 John Latham ‘General Synopsis of Birds’

1790 ‘India Ornithologicus’, 1821-28

Based on Sir N B Kinnear, JBNHS 51(1): 104-110

Early history of bird

study in India

The foundations

• T. C. Jerdon

• Edward Blyth

• A.O. Hume

• E. C. Stuart Baker

• Hugh Whistler

• Salim Ali

• Dillon Ripley

British Ornithology

Indian Ornithology

American Ornithology

A long tradition

The Handbook 10 Volumes

Indian ornithology in 20th century – 2nd half

• Sidney D. Ripley (1913-2001)

• Smithsonian Institution, US

• Bird systematist credited with the first

major revision of the taxonomy of the

Subcontinent’s birds since the

publication of FBI series

• Conducted extensive field-surveys esp.

in the north-eastern India

• His ‘Synopsis’ of distribution and

taxonomy of Indian birds formed the

basis for the 10-volume ‘Handbook’, co-

authored with Salim Ali

• Author of highly acclaimed monographs

on waterfowl and rails & crakes

Indian ornithology in 20th century – 2nd half

• Sálim Ali (1896-1987)

• Arguably, the most charismatic ornithologist in the

Subcontinent (‘Birdman of India’)

• Long association with BNHS

• Student of German ornithologist E. Stresemann; a

close associate of Hugh Whistler and S.D. Ripley

• Ornithological surveys of Central Provinces,

Travancore & Cochin, Mysore, Hyderabad, Jodhpur,

Saurashtra, Gangotri-Mansarovar, and Sikkim

• Authored the 10-volume ‘Handbook’ along with S.D.

Ripley; several regional field-guides

• Involved with research projects including bird

migration, economic ornithology, mitigation of birds,

bird-hits of aircraft, & ecology of endangered birds

• One of the leading figures of conservation movement

in Independent India

• Received Padma Vibhushan & J. Paul Getty Award

• Institutions

• Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai

• Centre for Wildlife & Ornithology, AMU, Aligarh

• Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology & Natural History (SACON,

Coimbatore)

• Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun

• Organizations

• Several regional bird clubs and organizations (Oriental Bird Club,

Bird Conservation Nepal, Ceylon Bird Club & Field Ornithology Group

of Sri Lanka, MNS, BSAP, etc.)

• Recent initiatives to form a Federation of Indian Ornithologists (to be

modelled as Indian Ornithologists Union) based in Bangalore

• Programmes

• Asian Mid-winter Waterbird Census (Jan 15-20, every year)

• IBA (Important Bird Areas) Programme

• ‘Migrant Watch’ Programme

Modern Indian ornithology – Extensions &

infrastructure

The growth of bird study in

India Period Number of publications

< 1800 9

1800-1850 186

1850-1900 1162

1900-1950 3218

1950-2000 12878

Based on data from Aasheesh Pittie (2001)

A bibliographic index to the birds of the Indian Subcontinent.

10 fold growth every 50 years

Life-history, behavioural and ecological studies are few.

Most publications are about species distribution or occurrence.

Already there is a space shortage for this kind of information.

The Internet revolution Email discussion groups

Nathistory-India ( since 1995 ) Bngbirds ( since 1999)

BirdsofBombay Keralabirder

India-nature-pixs [Digital images] Delhibirds

BengalBird Maharashtra Pakshimitra

Rajasthan Naturalists Gujarat

OrientalBirding

No entry bars

Flexible standards for reporting

Conservative estimates for most groups

> 10 posts/week and > 100 members

Evaluated

Extinct Extinct

(EX)

Extinct in the Wild

(EW)

Critical (CR)

Endangered (EN)

Vulnerable (VU)

Conservation

Dependent (CD)

Threatened

Non-

threatene

d

Low

Risk

(LR)

Near-threatened

(NT)

Of less concern

Abundant

Data Deficient

(DD)

Not evaluated (EV)

ALL SPECIES

Adequate Data

THREAT CATEGORIES: IUCN

Criteria Main numerical thresholds

Critical Endangered Vulnerable

A RAPID

DECLINE

>80% over 10

years or 3

generations

> 50% over 10

years or 3

generations

>50% over 20 years or 5 generations

B SMALL

RANGE

Fragmented,

declining or

fluctuating

Extent of

occurrence <

100 km² or

area of

occupancy <10

km²

Extent of

occurrence

<5,000 Km² or

area of

occupancy

<500km²

Extent of

occurrence

<20,000Km² or area

of occupancy

<2,000Km²

C SMALL

POPULATION

Declining

<250 mature

individuals

<2,500 mature

individuals

<10,000 mature

individuals

D1 VERY SMALL

POPULATION

<50 mature

individuals

<250 mature

individuals

<1,000 mature

individuals

D2 - - - <100 Km² or <5

locations

E UNFAVOUR-

ABLE PVA

Probability of

extinction >50

% within 5

years

Probability of

extinction >20 %

within 20 years

Probability of

extinction >10%

within 100 years.

Threatened Species Density

• Where threatened

birds occur

throughout the

world (Cr, En, Vu)

• (152) Brazil

• (124) Peru

• (122) Indonesia

• (112)Columbia

• (93) Equador

• (87) China

• (87) India. – 16CR, 17EN, 54VU

– In addition 68 NT

And 3 Data deficient

Critical Species Status )Br/ Non-

Br)

1 Himalayan Quail ?

2 Pink-headed Duck B

3 Baer's Pochard N

4 White-bellied Heron B

5 Christmas Frigatebird N

6 White-rumped Vulture B

7 Indian Vulture B

8 Slender-billed Vulture B

9 Red-headed Vulture B

10 Bengal Florican B

11 Great Indian Bustard B

12 Siberian Crane N

13 Sociable Lapwing N

14 Spoon-billed Sandpiper N

15 Jerdon's Courser B

16 Forest Owlet B

Endangered Species Status )Br/

Non-Br)

1 Green Peafowl B

2 Red-breasted Goose N

3 White-winged Duck B

4 White-headed Duck N

5 Barau's Petrel N

6 Oriental Stork N

7 Greater Adjutant B

8 Saker Falcon N

9 Egyptian Vulture B

10 Lesser Florican B

11 Masked Finfoot B

12 Spotted Greenshank N

13 Black-bellied Tern B

14 Narcondam Hornbill B

15 Black-chinned Laughingthrush B

16 White-bellied Blue Robin B

17 Nilgiri Blue Robin B

Pinkheaded Duck : Rhodonessa

caryophyllacea

Redcrested Pochard :

Rhodonessa rufina

Himalayan Quail : Ophrysia superciliosa

Forest Owlet :Heteroglaux

blewitti

Spotted Owlet: Athene brama

Jerdons Courser : Rhinoptilus bitorquatus

White-rumped

(backed) Vulture

Long-billed Vulture

Siberian and Sarus Cranes

Sociable Lapwing

Bengal Florican

Indian Bustard: Ardeotis nigriceps

Lesser Florican : Sypheotides indica

Nilgiri Laughing Thrush

Threatened birds of India

|Their conservation requirements

By Asad R Rahmani

2012

860 page book.

Describes 15 CR, 15 Endangered,

52 Vulnerable, 66 Near threatened

and 2 data deficient birds of India

based on IUCN redlist 2011

Endemic Bird Area Analysis

Birdlife International 1997

• A Restricted- range bird species is a

land-bird which is judged to have

had a breeding range of less than

50,000 km² throughout historical

times ( since 1800). Extinct birds

which qualify on the range size are

included.

Endemic Bird Area

• An Endemic Bird Area ( EBA) is

defined as an area which

encompasses the overlapping

breeding ranges of restricted range

bird species, such that the complete

ranges of two or more restricted-range

species are entirely included within the

boundary of the EBA.

• - 27% (2623) birds are RR Sp.

Indonesia highest no.

India 14th ranked.

•

• - 218 EBA's identified

• Indonesia highest no with 24

• India 13th ranked with 6

Indian EBA’s

• .Western Ghats

• 16 RR Sp.: 12 near threatened & 4 least

concern

• .Andaman Islands

• 13 RR Sp. : 3 Vulnerable & 10 near

threatened

• .Nicobar Island

• 9 RR Sp: 2 Vulnerable & 7 near threatened

Indian EBA’s (contd.)

• .Western Himalayas

• 11 RR Sp.: 1 critical, 3 Vulnerable, 3 near threatened & 4 least concern

• .Eastern Himalayas

• 22 RR Sp.: 11 Vu, 1DD, 5 nt, 5 l.c.

• .Assam Plains

• 3 RR Sp.: 3 Vu

Important Bird Areas (IBA)

• Identify, document, and advocate the

protection and management of a

network of sites that are important for

the long term viability of naturally

occurring bird populations

Indian Bird Conservation

Network (IBCN)

• To promote conservation of birds and

their habitats thru’ dev. Of national n/w

of individuals, organisations and the

govt.

• Constituents

– Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS)

– Royal Society for the Protection of Birds

(RSPB) UK

– BirdLife International

Inventories of internationally

recognized sites vital for the

conservation of birds

• Four standard global criteria

• Globally threatened species

• Restricted Range Species

• Biome restricted species (8 biomes)

• Congregation

IBA Results

• Various state and regional consultations held since 1999

• 466 IBAs identified

• Final report released on 5th Nov.2004 in the form of a very detailed account of each IBA

– 1200 page document

– c. 1000 contributors

Why conserve birds:

Ecosystem Services

- Ecosystem services: Important place in the food chain: Ecological balance

- Direct role: Leaf Warblers in 1 ha. of tropical Forests consume 12000 insects in a day; in all 40 insectivorous birds in 1 ha. consuming 55000 insects a day. (KMTR, TN)

- Removing them>Foliage tattered> endangered Langurs devoid of food>fewer flowers and fruits> nectarivores and frugivores get less food>regeneration goes down>ground dries faster ……

- Similar role in agricultural insect pest control

• Ability to fly

• Colourful and attractive

• Interesting behavior

– Migration

– Breeding

• Varied and sweet

vocalisations

• Omnipresence

• Religio-cultural-social

linkages

Birdwatching: A peep into the

Beautiful world of birds

Scarlet Minivet

Common Kingfisher

Birdwatching: Present status

– Birdwatching: fastest growing

outdoor recreational activity in

the US; 20% population

participated (2006)

– In UK 6 million birdwatchers

(2009)

– In India too a hobby growing at

a fast pace: local e-groups and

associations

- Estimated 45000 birders

- May go up to 117m by 2025

(20% of middle class)

- Sumit Sen, 2011

Hobby of birdwatching

• Developed in 20th century – First in England followed by US and other

developed countries

– Now picking up in developing countries

• Development as a scientific sport aided by – Increased availability of optical aids

– Publication of high quality field identification guides, journals and magazines

– Growing of bird clubs

– Final impetus by internet and digital cameras

Who does birdwatching

• Usually attracts the educated, affluent and middle-aged who are interested in wildlife and are keen to travel and spend time outdoors

• In 2006 in America, 63% of all birders were over 45 years, 60% earned over USD 50,000 annually and 63% had at least some college education

• 54% of the surveyed birders were females

• Now a lot of youth getting attracted towards it

Birdwatching: Economics

– In US $82 billion industry (in 2006): Rs 400,000 Crores

• Trips and equipment US $ 36b

• created 671,000 jobs and generated employment income of over US $ 27b

• Govt. tax collection from birding was USD 10b

• Number of serious birdwatchers in US has surpassed hunters

– IN UK

• Birdwatchers spend about US$ 0.5b

• RSPB has 1m members

• Runs the Rutland water birding fair (16th yr)

• $5.4 m in 3 days

– Tiny country like Rwanda earned USD7b from bird related tourism in 2008

– In India estimated turnover US$25m

– Swarovski: sale of optical instruments for bird-watching is going up

Case studies

• Keoladeo Ghana National Park,

Bharatpur

• Corbett landscape

• Eagle nest sanctuary

Keoladeo Ghana National Park,

Bharatpur: Biodiv. values

• Most well known bird protected area of the country

• 350 species of birds

• Very easy viewing of otherwise shy water-birds

• Migratory waterfowl and breeding heronries

• 35 species of raptors and Siberian Cranes


Bharatpur: tourism

• Part of the golden triangle of Indian

tourism

• Also part of golden triangle of Indian

birdwatching

• High number of visitors particularly in

winters.

• Large number of foreign tourists who

often spend 3-5 days


Bharatpur: tourism

• Rickshaw pullers

• Naturalists/Guides

• Hoteliers

• Travel agents

Corbett landscape

• 550 species of birds in altitude ranging from 400 to 2000 metres

• Corbett Tiger Reserve, Nainital and Ramnagar Forest Division make a comprehensive & diverse landscape

• One of the richest bird areas in mainland India with easy access and good facilities

• Nearly 80 resorts outside the legal boundary of CTR – A sizeable share primarily cater to bird tourists

Corbett landscape

• Guided services started in 1993

• Large number of very good bird guides

available

• Proximity to Delhi

• Much bird tourism takes place in

territorial division

Eagle nest sanctuary

• One of the best altitudinal gradient in

eastern Himalayas 300m to 3000m

• 400 species (almost all forest birds)

• Now decent facilities for bird tourists

• Very good birding circuit along with

Kaziranga , Nameri and Sela and

Mandala Pass

Eagle nest biodiversity

project • The immediate and long-term goals

proposed were: – Inventory the birds, butterflies and

herpetofauna of Eaglenest

– Develop a photo-library useful to scientists, wildlife managers and tourists

– Increase the local and outside awareness of the ecological wealth of EWS

– Encourage the participation of the local Bugun tribe in research and tourism activities, thereby engendering in the community a stake in the long-term survival of Eaglenest

Eagle nest biodiversity

project • 2003-06: documentation of birds and other

taxa through volunteers with a view to help potential bird tourists – motivating factors included conservation as well

as the chance to investigate an unexplored wilderness

– Six field visits of approx 1 month each

• A team of locals managed the field camps and in the process developed the skills needed to manage tourist groups – Major focus of this hands-on training was on

hygiene, punctuality and cooking skills to cater to foreign palates


• Discovery of Bugun Liochicla a big bonus – Became the mascot of ENS

birding

• ENS properly and aggressively marketed through egroups, OBC Birding Asia, Bird tour organisers, birding fairs

• Tourism started in 2006 initially as low volume high quality


• Number of tourists: 300-500 annually,

about 50% foreigners

• Revenue from ecotourism: about Rs. 5

million

• Community fee: about Rs. 1.5 lakhs

• Number of employees: about 25

persons for an average of about 6

months


• A old road with labour sheds at 1200,

2000, 2200 and 2600m

• Camping sites developed at these sites

with assistance from ford foundation

• Bird guiding still an issue

To sum up

• Vast potential in the country to develop bird based tourism

• Territorial divisions better suited owing to fewer threats and restrictions

• Clean accommodation and other related facilities a must

• Good documentation of birds – Checklists

– Where to look for prized species

• Bird guides

• Marketing – Easy through e-groups

Important conservation

issues

• Vulture decline

• Sparrow decline

• Climate change

• Non-existent monitoring

– No count, density or relative density

estimates for most birds

Vulture decline

• 99% decline through the 1990’s

• 2003: Diclofenac identified as main

contributor to the decline

• 2005: Drug controller of India bans veterinary

use of diclofenac and promotes meloxicam

• Captive breeding centres at Pinjore, Buxa

and Guwahati

• Vulture restaurants

• Human diclofenac still leaking into veterinary

use

Sparrow decline

• Sparrows originated in Mediterranean but expanded to Europe and Asia with civilisation

• Man took it to Americas and Africa

• Today on steep decline in Europe and many other parts of developed world but rising in US

• Decline in India in large cities, intensive, modern and mechanized agriculture belts

Sparrow decline: reasons?

• Use of unleaded petrol: drastic decline in

insects owing to methyl nitrite in exhaust

– Insects major diet for young sparrows

• Lack of nesting sites in modern housing

• Increased use of pesticides in agriculture

• Disappearing kitchen gardens and traditional

practices of washing and cleaning of grains

• Mobile towers?: Advisory by MoEF, Aug 2012

• Predation by Crows and Cats

• 6 lakh Sparrows in UP alone (2008-09)

• GBP5000 reward unclaimed

Climate change and birds

• Shifting of timings – Many birds arriving early in their breeding ranges

in spring: out of step with habitats

• Shifting and shrinking ranges – 60% of 305 winter species in North America are

shifting their ranges northwards by 35 miles on an average

– More than half of arctic zone may submerge by 2080; Important breeding area for waterfowl and waders

• New risks of tropical diseases in temperate areas – Malaria: Mosquitoes peaking earlier

Monitoring Birds

•Monitoring birds

•Census techniques

•Monitoring protocols

•World and India

•Implications on forest ecosystems

•Bird habitat relationships

•Indicator birds

MONITORING

• Surveillance : repeated survey using

standardised methods.

• Monitoring consists of surveillance

plus

– Assessment of any changes against some

standard* or target

– Gathering of data in such a way that the

reasons for the departure may be

illuminated

* Standard: some norm or natural level;

study of control areas.

Faunal Bio-indicators

• Various taxa

– Mammals

– Birds

– Amphibians

– Butterflies

– Other insects

• Area limited species: Mammalian carnivores

• Dispersal limited species: Flightless insects, interior birds

• Resource limited species: nectarivorous, frugivorous, cavity nesting birds/ mammals

• Process limited species: Plants sensitive to process change

• Keystone species: Cavity excavating birds

• Narrow endemic species: Restricted range species (birds, mammals)

• Special cases: Flagship species – * Reed F Noss (1999)

Faunal Bio-indicators*

Birds as monitor: advantages

• Easy to identify, relatively easy to study

• Classification & systematics are well established; No

of species manageable

• High on food chain; occupy a very broad range of

ecosystems

• Sensitive to many kinds of environmental

disturbance and can be used to monitor potentially

harmful changes in the environment

• Relatively long life spans

• Public interest

• Amateur contributions

Bird census techniques

• Elementary – Species lists with abundance categories (e.g.

common, rare, scarce etc.) • Checklists

• Atlas studies

• Index counts (relative densities) – Encounter rates, Point counts, Occupancy based

• Absolute counts – Point transects

– Line transects

– Territory/spot mapping

Long-term surveillance/monitoring

programmes

• Annual Christmas counts: Since 1900

• Common bird census in Britain: Since 1962

• Breeding bird census: Standardised in 1945

• Breeding bird survey: Since 1965

• Line transect census of birds in Finland

• Standardised trapping of migrant

passerines by bird observatories

Annual Christmas Count

• Successor to Christmas ‘side hunt’

• Frank Chapman from Audobon society

• Primary objective: to monitor the status and distribution of bird population across western hemisphere (Americas)

• Longest running database in ornithology

• Information generated vital for conservation – Local trends in bird populations can indicate

habitat fragmentation or signal an immediate environmental threat, such as ground water contamination or poisoning from improper use of pesticide

•First CBC

–27 participants

–25 counts

–90 species

–18,500 individual birds

•Year 2000

–52471 participants

–1823 counts

CBC:

Participation and

coverage

Common Bird Census:

Britain • Used to monitor populations of breeding

birds in UK since 1962

– tracked the declines in species such as the Song Thrush and the Skylark, and the general decline in farmland birds following changes in agriculture over the last 30 years

– It has also helped to show that for species such as the Sparrowhawk, previously in decline in the 1950s and 60s following extensive use of organochloride pesticides, environmental change has brought recovery and expansion of populations.

• Census during the breeding season (summer)

• Field work by volunteer birdwatchers

• Visit farmlands or woodlands typical of their area, eight or more times in the season

• Map all the birds by noting all contacts

• Year to year comparisons possible

• Detailed info. about the density of birds their habitat preferences is also available for ecological studies

Common Bird Census: Britain

Impact of monitoring programme

in Britain

• Monitoring has shown collapse in

farmland bird populations in 1980s

• This aroused public concern about the

health of the countryside

• This raised Government’s awareness of

the problem

Wild Bird Indicator UK

Common Bird Census: Britain

Trends for Skylark

From monitoring to Government

action

• The Wild Bird Indicator is among 15

Indicators that the UK Government uses to

measure sustainability

• The Government ministry responsible for

farming and the environment has pledged to

reverse the decline in farmland birds by 2020

• The Government has already started to

introduce schemes to help farmland birds

UK Government’s ‘Quality

of Life’ indicators • GDP

• Investment in hospitals, schools etc.

• People in work

• Life expectancy

• Qualifications at 19

• Unfit housing

• Greenhouse gas emissions

• Air pollution

• Road traffic

• River quality

• Wild bird populations

• New homes on previously developed and

• Waste and its disposal

Indian bird monitoring

programmes • Asian waterbird

census (AWC)

– Initiated in 1987

– Conducted in 2nd or 3rd week of Jan.

– In India 341(2002), 549(2003) and 407(2004) sites covered

No of sites covered under AWC

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

19

87

19

88

19

89

19

90

19

91

19

92

19

93

19

94

19

95

19

96

19

97

19

98

19

99

20

00

20

01

20

02

20

03

20

04

Year

No

of

sit

es

No of sites

Asian Waterbird count:

India • 1987-2007

– 3296 sites covered at

least once

– 100 sites with 20,000+

birds

– 13 sites with 1,00,000

birds

• Trends for most

species using TRIM

software (Trends and

indices for monitoring

data)

Other monitoring

programmes

• Vembanad bird count, Kerala

– Offshoot of AWC

• Salim Ali bird count

– 12th Nov., initiated in 1992, discontinued

• Yamuna valley bird count, Uttarakhand

Yamuna valley bird count

• Winter bird count Nov. 2004

• Summer bird count May 2005

• Winter bird count Nov. 2005

• Summer bird count May 2006

Diversity of Birds in Uttarakhand

• 625 species known to occur from the

region

• Nearly 50% of all the species recorded

from India with good representation

from most families reported from India

• Healthy bird populations

Scientific information

• Bird distribution fairly well documented

• Deficient quantitative information

• Limited knowledge about bird ecology

• Very few species lists at local level

– Necessitates bird surveys, particularly in

less-frequented areas

Why Yamuna Valley?

• Wide altitudinal range as bird habitats

(400 – 4000 m)

• Diversity of habitats

• Poorly surveyed area

• Easy accessibility

Objectives

• Assess status of birds

• Orient field staff

• Involve local people in conservation

• Popularise the area with birdwatchers

Survey Locations

• 8 locations covering diverse habitats

and altitudes; One more added in Nov

2005 count

• 2 trails at each location

– Length 7 to 10 km per trail

– Existing trails selected

Trek Altitudes

Location Altitudinal Range (m)

Hanumanchatti-Yamunotri 2400 3200

Chiwan-Balcha-Jutadi 1900 2700

Kalsi-Sahiya, Rampur Mandi 400 1100

Taluka-Gangad-Sankri 1950 2800

Purola-Nauri-Jarmola 1400 2150

Mussoorie-Kempty-Bhatta 1350 2100

Deoban-Mundali-Kanasar 2150 2850

Dhanolti-Surkanda-S’dhara 650 3000

Malhan-Timli-Asan 400 650

Participation

• Each location surveyed by one group

• Groups consisting of:

– Experienced birdwatchers

– Field staff

– Local school/college students

– Still and movie photographers

• Interaction with local people

Methodology

• Groups walk two trails at each location on

two consecutive survey days

• Recorded:

– All birds observed and their numbers

– Habitat characteristics

– Altitude and weather conditions

– Other observations regarding activity/behaviour

• Waterfowl census at Asan Barrage

Expected results

• Number of birds of different species

• Encounter rates:

– No of birds of diff. Sp./km

Encounter rate survey method is very

useful, especially in the hills, when the aim

is to get an index of abundance. (Field

methods for bird surveys by S. Javed and

R. Kaul, 2002)

YAMUNA VALLEY BIRD COUNT, MAY 2005

DATA SHEET

(Use separate sheets for different habitats); each and every bird to be recorded

TREK NAME & NO.: TRAIL NAME: DATE:

HABITAT(from list): TIME START: TIME END:

WEATHER(sky): (0=<10%clouds,1=partly cloudy,2=mostly cloudy,3=overcast,4=raining)

AVG. VISIBILITY(in m): ASPECT(N,S,E,W,): SLOPE(in %):

START: Altitude*: Longitude*: Latitude*:

END: Altitude*: Longitude*: Latitude*:

TRAIL LENGTH* (for the habitat): *GPS based entries

Observers’ names:

Count Nov 2004 May 2005 Nov 2005 May 2006

No. of

Species

177 203 174 220

No. of sp.

correctly

identified

159 189 157 196

Total

number

3198 3948 3938* 3421

Results of the counts for

7 location (14 trails)

10 most abundant birds

Nov 2004 Nov 2005 May 2005 May 2006

Spot-winged tit 455 (8)

Snow pigeon 285 (2)

Black-throated tit 159 (7)

Black bulbul 115 (3)

Large-billed crow 110 (13)

White-throated l.t. 107 (4)

Himalayan griffon 104 (9)

Green backed tit 91 (10)

Red-bld. B Magpie 86 (9)

Streaked l.t. 77 (9)

Rock Pigeon 868 (4)

Black bulbul 192 (6)


Snow pigeon 122 (3)

Black throated Tit 121 (8)

Himalayan Bulbul 114 (9)

House Sparrow 114 (7)

White-throated l.t. 105 (2)

Slaty h. Parakeet 84 (4)

Himalayan griffon 75 (10)



Common Myna 134 (9)

Jungle Myna 150 (7)

Snow Pigeon 148 (2)

Russet Sparrow 138 (10)

Blue W. Thrush 121 (12)

Himalayan Bulbul102 (6)

Black throated tit 105 (10)

Streaked LT. 93 (10)

Large-billed Crow 279 (14)

Slaty-headed Parakeet 144 (9)

Russet Sparrow 128 (10)

Blue Whistling Thrush 96 (11)

Streaked LT. 95 (10)

Himalayan Bulbul 90 (9)

Grey-hooded Warbler 85 (6)

Black Bulbul 81 (10)

Common Myna 70 (10)


Significant (>50%) variation across

seasons for abundant birds

Higher in Summer Higher in

Winter

Low

variation

Ashy Drongo, Blue Whistling

Thrush, Common Myna, Grey

Bushchat, Grey-hooded

Warbler, Himalayan Bulbul

House Sparrow, House Swift,

Jungle Myna, Large-billed

Crow, Long-tailed Minivet,

Oriental Turtle Dove, Oriental

White-eye, Plumbeous Water

Redstart, Rock Pigeon,

Ultramarine Flycatcher, Verditer

Flycatcher

Snow Pigeon,

Spotted

Nutcracker,

Spot-winged Tit

Black Bulbul,

Black-throated Tit,

Green-backed Tit,

Himalayan

Griffon, Red-billed

Blue Magpie,

Slaty-headed

Parakeet

Results contd…

• Encounter rates for each species calculated for all trails

• Habitat wise presence absence of all the species: Mixed temperate richest

• Spatial distributional patterns can be plotted

• Trends to established over time

• Baseline available

Indicator birds in the Shiwalik landscape

Q: Which are the indicator birds for disturbance in the

forests?

Q: Are there species that indicate specific disturbances?

IVKJ = 100 (RAKJ x RFKJ) RAKJ = Relative abundance of species J in group K

RFKJ = Relative frequency of species J in group K

Based on indicator species analysis

(Dufrene & Legendre, 1997)

LOW DISTURBANCE HIGH DISTURBANCE

Forest Species Indicator

value (%) Species

Indicator

value(%)

Dry Common myna 39.9

Chestnut shouldered

petronia 47.2

Rufous treepie 35.3 Rose ringed parakeet 44.5

Jungle babbler 42.1

Grey breasted prinia 41.5

Spotted dove 34.9

Hill

Rose ringed parakeet 50.3 Spotted dove 43.4

Purple sunbird 43.4 Indian pitta 36.1

Chestnut shouldered

petronia 42.2 Rufous treepie 34.2

Jungle babbler 30.7

Moist

Great tit 47.1 Common myna 40.1

Rose ringed parakeet 44.6 Jungle crow 35.9

Jungle Myna 30 Jungle babbler 33

Blue throated flycatcher 30.7 Spotted dove 31.8

Objective 2 Results(Breeding season)

Indicator proportion: moist (0.21) > hill (0.20) > dry (0.14)

LOW DISTURBANCE HIGH DISTURBANCE

Forest Species Indicator

value (%) Species

Indicator

value(%)

Dry Rose-ringed parakeet 45.8 Grey bushchat 33.3

Himalayan bulbul 31.4

Hill

Hume's warbler 50 Slaty-blue flycatcher 57.9

Grey-breasted prinia 41.1

Himalayan bulbul 40.9

White-throated fantail 40

Moist

Great tit 51.6 Grey bushchat 44.4

Chestnut bellied nuthatch 40.2 Grey-breasted prinia 32.4

Grey capped pygmy

woodpecker 39.7

Indicator proportion: moist (0.29) > hill (0.13) > dry (0.11)

Objective 2 Results(Non-breeding season)

Su

mm

er

Win

ter

Indicators of Lopping

Dry Hill

Dry Hill

R² = 0.68 p=0.002

0

2

4

6

8

0 10 20 30 40

R² = 0.50 p=0.001

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

0 20 40 60 80

R² = 0.62 p=0.001

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

0 10 20 30 40

R² = 0.76 p=0.001

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

0 20 40 60 80

Su

mm

er

Win

ter

Dry Moist

Moist Dry

Indicators of Firewood collection

R² = 0.51 p=0.01

1

3

5

7

9

11

0 1 2 3 4

R² = 0.33 p=0.08

0

2

4

6

8

0 5 10 15 20

R² = 0.45 p=0.03

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0 1 2 3 4

R² = 0.43 P=0.001

0

2

4

6

8

10

0 5 10 15 20

Su

mm

er

Win

ter

Indicators of Timber extraction

Dry Hill

Dry Hill

R² = 0.32 p=0.15

0

2

4

6

8

10

0 1 2 3 4

R² = 0.45 p=0.04

0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

1 2 3 4

R² = 0.49 p=0.01

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

0 2 4 6

R² = 0.38 p=0.01

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

0 2 4 6

Indicators of Grazing S

um

mer

Win

ter

Dry Hill

Hill Moist

R² = 0.33 p=0.06

0

2

4

6

8

0 20 40 60 80

R² = 0.51 p=0.02

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

0 20 40 60 80

R² = 0.40 p=0.05

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

0 20 40 60 80

R² = 0.39 p=0.05

0

2

4

6

8

0 20 40 60 80

Gap specialist species indicated high disturbance in all forest types.

Trunk-bark foraging guild and cavity nesters preferred less disturbed areas.

Great tit decreased with increasing lopping and firewood collection in moist forest.

Jungle Prinia decreased with all disturbance variables, especially with grazing.

Rose-ringed parakeet indicated timber extraction in dry and moist forest during breeding and non-breeding season.

Summary

Monitoring habitat degradation due to

extractive practices by locals

A robust list of indicator birds was

created

Four important criteria were selected for

identifying top indicators

Two sets of indicators representing high

and low disturbance were selected

Bird Habitat Monitoring Protocol

Disturbance

Sensitivity

Detectability

Distribution

Seasonal

availability

PARAMETERS JUSTIFICATION REFERENCES

Detectability

Ease of detection and measurement

helps in inexpensive monitoring

(Hilty and

Merenlender 2000;

Noss 1990; Pearson

and Cassola 1992)

Seasonal

availability

(1)Resident species could be monitored

throughout the year (2) changes in

attributes of migrants species could also

operate outside the target area.

(Bock and Webb

1984; Hilty and

Merenlender 2000;

Landres et al. 1988)

Occurrence

Widespread occurrence helps in

monitoring of multiple sites using single

indicator.

(Landres et al. 1988;

Noss 1990; Pearson

and Cassola 1992)

Respond to

multiple stressors

An indicator species responding to

multiple stressors has more utility to one

which responds to only one stressor.

(Noss 1990;

O'Connell et al. 2000)

Objective 3 (Methods)

SPECIES DENSITY (INDI/HA) IN TWO DISTURBANCE CATEGORIES

PROPOSED SAMPLING METHOD

Low High

White-crested laughing

thrush 0.350 0.037 Line-transect

Red-jungle fowl 0.346 0.159 Call-counts, Trail/road

transect

Red-billed blue magpie 0.348 0.054 Point/Line-transect

Great tit 2.722 1.601 Point/Line-transect

Greater-flameback

woodpecker 0.064 0.048

Line-transect/Call-

playbacks

Rose-ringed parakeet 2.235 1.525 Point/Line-transect

Objective 3 (Result: Species DECREASED with disturbance)

SPECIES DENSITY (INDI/HA) IN TWO DISTURBANCE CATEGORIES

PROPOSED SAMPLING METHOD

Low High

Olive-backed pipit 0.011 0.085 Line-transect

Common tailor-bird 0.12 0.449 Line-transect

Black-rumped

flameback 0.063 0.135

Line-transect/Call-

playbacks

Eurasian collared

dove 0.029 0.161 Encounter rate

Pied bush-chat 0.027 0.221 Line-transect

Spotted dove 0.260 0.685 Encounter rate

Objective 3 (Result: Species INCREASED with disturbance)

Thank You

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