Monitoring of water bird population with an account of heronry at Surajpur lake, an urban wetland in National Capital Region, India

NASIM AHMAD ANSARI

doi:10.56093/ijans.v87i12.79866

Authors

NASIM AHMAD ANSARI Wildlife Institute of India, Chandrabani, Dehradun, Uttarakhand 248 001, India

https://doi.org/10.56093/ijans.v87i12.79866

Keywords:

Heronry, India, National Capital Region, Surajpur wetland, Water birds

Abstract

Surajpur wetland is a prominent wetland site in National Capital Region, India, known for its rich biodiversity
of flora and fauna. The present study was conducted to record the water bird diversity with an account of heronry
from March 2010 to February 2013 by applying standard methods. During the study period, a total of 95 water bird
species belonging to 22 families were recorded. Family Anatidae dominated the list by 18 species, followed by
Scolopacidae (13 species) and Ardeidae (11 species). A total of 45 species recorded as resident, 43 species as
winter migrant and 7 species as summer migrant. The relative abundance analysis showed that, 41% bird species
were common, 40% occasional and 19% were uncommon in the study area. Month-wise, January recorded maximum number of species and individual while February recorded maximum density and Common Teal witnessed maximum count during the study period. Winter season and third year of study (2012-13) recorded maximum number of species, abundance and density. Among five ecological categories, maximum richness of small waders (34%) was recorded. TWINSPAN and Cluster analysis identified four dominant bird communities in the study area. The heronry revealed 18 bird species nesting in Phoenix sylvestris and Prosopis juliflora trees, with maximum number of nests observed of Asian Openbill, Black-crowned Night Heron and Black-headed Ibis recorded from April to September. IUCN listed 2 species as Vulnerable, 6 species under Near Threatened and rest species under Least
Concern category. The conservation and management implications are discussed in light of results.

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