A Preliminary Checklist and Diversity of Avifauna in Theroor Wetland, Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, India

Journal of Xi'an University of Architecture & Technology ISSN No : 1006-7930

A preliminary Checklist and diversity of Avifauna in Theroor Wetland, Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, India

Anandh Prasanth M1, Dr. S. Asokan2

1Research Scholar, Department of Zoology and Wildlife Biology, A.V.C College, Mayiladuthurai, Bharathidasan University, Tamil Nadu, India.

2Principal (Retd) Post Graduate and Research Department of Zoology and Wildlife Biology,A.V.C. College (Autonomous), Mayiladuthurai, Tamil Nadu, India. Presently Controller of Examinations, Periyar Maniammai Institute of Science and Technology, Tanjore, TN.

Abstract

Wetlands are integral to a healthy environment. The diversity of Birds in wetlands is intermediary zones between permanently aquatic and dry terrestrial eco-systems. The present study is conducted to make a preliminary checklist to birds of Theroor wetland, Kanyakumari, Tamil nadu. A total of 73 species belonging to 33 families have been documented during the present study. Major birds of study belong to the feeding guild Carnivores with 23 species. The seasonal distribution of birds suggest Theroor wetland provide good habitat for the winter visitors like Garganey, Northern Shoveler, Eurasian Wigeon, Northern Pintail, Common Teal.

Keywords: Wetlands, Kanyakumari, Seasonal Distribution, Feeding guild, Migratory birds.

Introduction

Birds have been described as feathered biped, warm-blooded vertebrate animals, whose temperature remains constant and independent of the surrounding temperature (Ali 2002). Of 1318 bird species found in India (Praveen et al. 2016), 310 species are known to be dependent on wetlands (Kumar et al. 2005; Kumar & Gupta 2009, 2013). India has totally 27403 wetlands which cover an area of about 58.2 million hectares (Prasad et al. 2002) of which 23444 are inland wetlands and remaining 3959 are coastal wetlands (Rajakumar 2012). In Tamil Nadu it was estimated that 31 natural wetlands covering an area of 58,068 hectares and 20,030 manmade wetlands with an area of 201,132 hectares (Venkatraman 2005). Birds are commonly used as surrogates of biodiversity owing to the wide availability of relevant data on their distribution and status (Gregory et al. 2003; Gregory 2006; Eglington et al. 2012). which use wetland as a source of drinking water and for feeding, resting, shelter, and social interactions (Rajpar & Zakaria, 2011).

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Wetlands are transitional zones between permanently aquatic and dry terrestrial eco- systems. According to the Ramsar convention, wetlands are “… areas of marsh, fen, peatland or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six metres.” (Ramsar Convention, 1971, Article 1.1).

Wetlands and water birds are inseparable elements, the water birds occupy several trophic levels in the food web of wetland nutrient cycles (Rajashekara & Venkatesha 2010). Assemblage of bird species density, diversity, richness and relative abundance in a habitat are affected by various factors like food availability, water level, quality of water, the size and the abiotic factors in the wetland (Manikannan 2011; Paracuellos 2006; Jaksic 2004; Lagos et al. 2008).

Wetlands are the main custodians of the water birds (Weller 1999; Stewart 2001). As they attract huge number of migratory and resident bird due to high nutritional value and productivity (Manikannan et al. 2012). Both natural and artificial wetlands, support a high diversity of resident and migrant waterbirds (Amezaga et al. 2002). They are the most threatened habitats and are considered to be the most important to be conserved, and they provide for the most endangered taxa (Costanza et al. 1997; Junk et al. 2013). Anthropogenic activities like discharging of domestic sewage, discharging of industrial effluent, dumping of solid waste, over exploitation of their natural resources and conversion of wetlands in to barren lands are the major factor for the loss of biodiversity (Ramachandra 2006). Kanyakumari District is located towards the southern tip of the Indian peninsula and therefore provide critical wintering habitats for many migrant species (Abhisheka et al. 2012). Previous studies like diversity of birds in Theroor pond I and pond II which consists of 25 and 28 species respectively (Vijayan et al. 2006). The studies conducted by earlier workers documented limited number of birds of the study site. Hence this study focus on preparing a preliminary checklist to the Theroor wetland with seasonal distribution of birds.

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Materials and Methods Study Area Fig: 1 Satellite view of the Study area – Theroor Wetland

Fig: 2 Study area – Theroor Wetland

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The Theroor wetlands (8°10′45″N 77°27′45″E) is a part of Suchindram Theroor Birds Sanctuary, situated near Suchindram town in Kanyakumari District, Tamil Nadu, India. It is a protected area comprising an area of about 419acres. The local people were extensively using this wetland for irrigation and it Ayacut is about 2728 acres. The study area is surrounded by paddy field and human habitation, it underlies the southernmost continental range of the Central Asian Flyway. This area is considered as Important Bird Area (Code No. IN279). Bird surveys were conducted at twice in month, in Theroor Bird Sanctuary from Aug 2018 to July 2019. Birds were counted by the “direct count” and “total count” methods (Bibby et al. 2000). In “direct count” method a suitable vantage point was selected and all the visible birds were counted. Another method “total count” was used wherever possible, by walking around the wetlands or from specific vantage points to count the birds. Systematically this survey was conducted in morning around 6.00 hrs to 10.00 hrs. Birds were recognised in the field by using Nikon (12x50 mm) binoculars. Photographs were taken to identify the birds whenever possible and the bird’s identification is confirmed using standard field guides like Birds of the Indian subcontinent and Birds of Southern India (Grimmett & Inskipp 1999; Grimmett & Inskipp 2007) were used for field identification. The study area, experiencing sub- tropical climate, has four seasons: Monsoon (June– Sept), Post-Monsoon (Oct–Dec), Summer (Mar-May) and the Winter (Jan-Feb). The birds were categorized based on the migratory status into Resident (R), Winter Migrant (WM) and Local Migrant (R/M). Based on the feeding guild the birds were categorized into Herbivore (HR), Piscivore (PI), Omnivore (OM), Insectivore (IN), Frugivore (FR) and Carnivore (CA) following Ali and Ripley (1987). The statistical analysis Species Diversity, Dominance, Pielou’s Evenness and Margalef Richness was done using MS-Excel 2010 and Past3.

Result and Discussion Table 1, shows that 73 species of birds were encountered in the Theroor wetlands, Kanyakumari District from Aug 2018 to July 2019. belonging to genera, 33 families under 14 orders were recorded from as per the IUCN Category, 4 species are classified as Near threatened and the remaining 69 species, Least concern (Figure 5). The current study revealed that, the 73 species in Theroor Wetland supports 8% Winter Migrants, 30% Resident/Migrants (Local migrants) and 62% of the species as resident (Figure 4).

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Fig. 3 Feeding Guild of Birds in Theroor Wetland

25 23

20 15 15 13

7 7 No. Individuals of 5 3 2 2 1 0 CA FR GR HR IN NE NE/FR OM PI Feeding Guild

The migrant species includes species such as Garganey, Northern Shoveler, Eurasian Wigeon, Northern Pintail, Common Teal, Cotton Teal and Western Marsh Harrier. Residents birds include Near Threatened species like Black-headed Ibis. Local Migrants include Near Threatened species include Painted Stork, Spot-billed Pelican and Oriental Darter. In the present study, 33 families were documented during the entire study period in Theroor wetland (Table 1). Among them, Anatidae was the dominant family with 9 species, followed by Ardeidae (8 species), Accipitridae (5 species), Rallidae (5 species) Alcedinidae (3 species) and Motacillidae (3 species). Fig: 4 Migratory Status of the Birds in Theroor Wetland

6, 8%

R 22, 30% R/M WM 45, 62%

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The Guild-wise analysis of the 73 species shows that 23 species of birds are Carnivores, 15 species are Omnivores, 13 species are Insectivores, 7 species are Herbivores and Piscivores each (Figure 3). Fig: 5 IUCN Status of the Birds in Theroor Wetland

NT, 4, 5%

LC, 69, 95% NT

Fig: 6 WPA Status of the Birds in Theroor Wetland

1% 7%

Sch-I

Sch-IV

Sch-V

92%

As shown in Fig. 6 Maximum species falls under Schedule IV (92%), followed by Schedule I (7%) and Schedule V (1%). The diversity analysis (Table 2), reveals maximum species was observed during the month of January (69) and March (69) and it is followed by November (67), December (67), October (66) and May (66). The Shannon-wiener diversity, Simpson Reciprocal index and Evenness was maximum during the month of August. Margalef

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Richness was maximum during the month of January and it is followed by March, May and July. The seasonal diversity study (Table 3), reveals that the maximum species was observed during Post-Monsoon (71 species), Winter (71 species), Summer (71 species) and it is followed by Monsoon (61 species). The Shannon wiener diversity was maximum during the summer season (3.419). Evenness was maximum during the Monsoon season and Margalef richness was maximum during the winter season as it harbours large number of migratory birds to the wetland. Vijayan et al. 2006 in their study, reported good population of Near threatened Species like Spot-billed pelican, Painted stork and Oriental darter. In the past decades, the population of little cormorant, cattle egret and Garganey population was declining due to the anthropogenic activity and over growth of aquatic weeds. The rapid decrease in wetland reduced the stop over sites of the migratory birds, which lead to the protection of wetlands for the migrants as well as resident birds (Prasad et al. 2004).

It is a fact that, if the quality of wetland habitat is substantially reduced, populations of wetland dependent birds in the area also can be expected to decrease. One of the best-known functions of wetlands is to provide a habitat for birds, which act as a surrogate for biodiversity and Wetland ecosystem. So, it may be suggested that drastic steps must be taken to preserve wetlands and to save wetland birds.

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Ali, S. (2002). The Book of Indian Birds (13th ed.). Mumbai: Bombay Natural History Society, pp: 326. Amezaga, J.M., L. Santamaría & A.J. Green (2002). Biotic wetland connectivity - supporting a new approach for wetland policy. Acta Oecologica, 23(3): 213–222; http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1146-609X(02)01152-9.

Bibby, C. J., N. D. Burgess, D. A. Hill & S. H. Mustoe (2000). Bird Census Techniques. 2nd edition. Academic Press, London. 93-303pp.

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Costanza, R., R. d’Arge, R. de Groot,S. Farber, , M.Grasso, , B.Hannon,, K. Limburg,, S.Naeem, ,R.V. O’Neill , J.Paruelo, R.G. Raskin, P. Suttonkk, & M. Van den Belt (1997). The value of the world’s ecosystem services and natural capital, Nature 387: 253-260.

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Grimmett, R. & T. Inskipp (2007). Birds of Southern India. New Delhi: Om Books International. Junk, W. J., S. An, C.M. Finlayson, B.Gopal, J. Květ, S.A. Mitchell, W.J.Mitsch &R.D. Robarts (2013). Current state of knowledge regarding the world’s wetlands and their future under global climate change: a synthesis, Aquat. Sci. 75: 151-167. doi:10.1007/s00027-012-0278-z.

Kumar, A., J.P, Sat, P.C. Tak & J.R.B. Alfred (2005). Handbook on Indian Wetland Birds and their Conservaton. Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, India, xxvi+468pp. Kumar, P. & S.K. Gupta (2009). Diversity and abundance of wetland birds around Kurukshetra, India. Our Nature 7: 212–217. Kumar, P. & S.K. Gupta (2013). Status of wetland birds of Chhilchhila Wildlife Sanctuary, Haryana, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 5(5): 3969–3976; http://doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o3158.3969-76 Manakadan, R. & A. Pittie (2001). Standardised common and scientific names of the birds of the Indian subcontinent. Buceros 6(1): 1-37.

Manikannan, R (2011). Diversity of waterbirds in the Point Calimere wildlife sanctuary, Tamil Nadu, India. Ph. D. Thesis, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India.

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Manikannan, R., S. Asokan & A. Mohamed Samsoor Ali (2012). Abundance and Factors Affecting Population Characteristics of Waders (Charadriiformes) in Great Vedaranyam Swamp of Point Calimere Wildlife Sanctuary, South-east Coast of India. International Journal of Ecosystem 2(1), 6-14. Paracuellos, M. (2006). “How can habitat selection affect the use of a wetland complex by water birds”, Biodiversity Conservation 15: 4569 – 4582. Prasad, S.N., A.K. Jaggi, P. Kaushik, L. Vijayan, S. Muralidharan & V.S. Vijayan. (2004). Inland wetlands of India, Conservation Atlas. Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History. Coimbatore, India, 222. Praveen J., Jayapal, R., & Pittie, A. (2016). A checklist of the birds of India. Indian BIRDS, 11:113-170. Rajakumar, R. (2012). “A Study on Aqautic Bird Diversity and Environmental Quality of The Udhayamarthandapuram Bird Sanctuary, Thiruvarur District, Tamil Nadu, India”, Ph.D. thesis, Tamil University, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India. Rajpar, M.N. & M. Zakaria (2011). Bird species abundance and their correlation ship with microclimate and habitat variables at Natural Wetland Reserve, Peninsular Malaysia. Int. J. Zool Article ID 758573, 17 pages, DOI: 10.1155/2011/758573. Ramachandra, T.V. (2006). Soil and Groundwater Pollution from Agricultural Activities, Commonwealth of learning, Canada and Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, Printed by Capital Publishing Company, New Delhi (Reprinted in 2009 by TERI Press, New Delhi). S. Rajashekara & M. G. Venkatesha (2010). The diversity and abundance of waterbirds in lakes of Bangalore city, Karnataka, India. Biosystematica 4(2): 63-73.

Venkatraman, K. (2005). “Faunal Diversity of Tamil Nadu”. ENVIS Newsletter 2(1):152. Vijayan, L., S. N. Prasad, N. Sridharan & M. B. Guptha (2006). Status of wetlands and wetland birds in selected districts of tamilnadu. Report by Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History. Pp: 64. Weller, M.W. (1999). Wetland bird habitat resources and conservation implications. Press syndicate of the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, 316.

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Table: 1 Checklist to the Birds of Theroor Wetland during the study period Aug 2018 to July 2019

SI.No Order Family Common Name Scientific Name IUCN WPA Foragin Migrator Category Sch g Guild y Status 1 Anseriformes Anatidae Lesser Whistling Dendrocygna javanica LC Sch- HR R Duck IV 2 Anseriformes Anatidae Garganey Spatula querquedula LC Sch- OM WM IV 3 Anseriformes Anatidae Northern Shoveler Spatula clypeata LC Sch- OM WM IV 4 Anseriformes Anatidae Eurasian Wigeon Mareca penelope LC Sch- HR WM IV 5 Anseriformes Anatidae Indian Spot-billed Anas poecilorhyncha LC Sch- HR R Duck IV 6 Anseriformes Anatidae Northern Pintail Anas acuta LC Sch- OM WM IV 7 Anseriformes Anatidae Common Teal Anas crecca LC Sch- HR WM IV 8 Anseriformes Anatidae Comb Duck Sarkidiornis melanotos LC Sch- HR R IV 9 Anseriformes Anatidae Cotton Teal Nettapus LC Sch- OM WM coromandelianus IV 10 Podicipediformes Podicipedidae Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis LC Sch- CA R IV 11 Columbiformes Columbidae Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis LC Sch- GR R IV 12 Caprimulgiforme Apodidae Asian Palm Swift Cypsiurus balasiensis LC Sch- IN R s IV 13 Cuculiformes Cuculidae Greater Coucal Centropus sinensis LC Sch- CA R IV 14 Cuculiformes Cuculidae Asian Koel Eudynamys LC Sch- OM R scolopaceus IV

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15 Gruiformes Rallidae White-breasted Amaurornis LC Sch- OM R Waterhen phoenicurus IV 16 Gruiformes Rallidae Watercock Gallicrex cinerea LC Sch- HR R IV 17 Gruiformes Rallidae Purple Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio LC Sch- OM R IV 18 Gruiformes Rallidae Common Gallinula chloropus LC Sch- OM R Moorhen IV 19 Gruiformes Rallidae Common Coot Fulica atra LC Sch- HR R/M IV 20 Ciconiiformes Ciconiidae Painted Stork Mycteria leucocephala NT Sch- PI R/M IV 21 Ciconiiformes Ciconiidae Asian Openbill Anastomus oscitans LC Sch- CA R IV 22 Pelecaniformes Pelecanidae Spot-billed Pelecanus philippensis NT Sch- PI R/M Pelican IV 23 Pelecaniformes Ardeidae Yellow Bittern Ixobrychus sinensis LC Sch- CA R/M IV 24 Pelecaniformes Ardeidae Indian Pond Ardeola grayii LC Sch- CA R Heron IV 25 Pelecaniformes Ardeidae Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis LC Sch- CA R/M IV 26 Pelecaniformes Ardeidae Grey Heron Ardea cinerea LC Sch- CA R/M IV 27 Pelecaniformes Ardeidae Purple Heron Ardea purpurea LC Sch- CA R/M IV 28 Pelecaniformes Ardeidae Great Egret Ardea alba LC Sch- CA R/M IV 29 Pelecaniformes Ardeidae Intermediate Egret Ardea intermedia LC Sch- CA R/M IV 30 Pelecaniformes Ardeidae Little Egret Egretta garzetta LC Sch- CA R/M IV

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31 Pelecaniformes Threskiornithidae Black-headed Ibis Threskiornis NT Sch- CA R melanocephalus IV 32 Pelecaniformes Threskiornithidae Indian Black Ibis Pseudibis papillosa LC Sch- OM R IV 33 Pelecaniformes Threskiornithidae Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus LC Sch- CA R/M IV 34 Suliformes Phalacrocoracida Little Cormorant Microcarbo niger LC Sch- PI R/M e IV 35 Suliformes Phalacrocoracida Indian Cormorant Phalacrocorax LC Sch- PI R/M e fuscicollis IV 36 Suliformes Anhingidae Oriental Darter Anhinga melanogaster NT Sch- PI R/M IV 37 Charadriiformes Charadriidae Red-wattled Vanellus indicus LC Sch- CA R Lapwing IV 38 Charadriiformes Jacanidae Pheasant-tailed Hydrophasianus LC Sch- OM R Jacana chirurgus IV 39 Charadriiformes Jacanidae Bronze-winged Metopidius indicus LC Sch- OM R Jacana IV 40 Charadriiformes Scolopacidae Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago LC Sch- CA R/M IV 41 Charadriiformes Scolopacidae Common Actitis hypoleucos LC Sch- IN R/M Sandpiper IV 42 Charadriiformes Laridae Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida LC Sch- PI R/M IV 43 Accipitriformes Accipitridae Short-toed Snake Circaetus gallicus LC Sch-I CA R Eagle 44 Accipitriformes Accipitridae Western Marsh Circus aeruginosus LC Sch-I CA WM Harrier 45 Accipitriformes Accipitridae Shikra Accipiter badius LC Sch-I CA R 46 Accipitriformes Accipitridae Brahminy Kite Haliastur indus LC Sch-I CA R 47 Accipitriformes Accipitridae Black Kite Milvus migrans LC Sch-I CA R

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48 Coraciiformes Coraciidae Indian Roller Coracias benghalensis LC Sch- CA R IV 49 Coraciiformes Alcedinidae Common Alcedo atthis LC Sch- CA R Kingfisher IV 50 Coraciiformes Alcedinidae Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis LC Sch- PI R IV 51 Coraciiformes Alcedinidae White-throated Halcyon smyrnensis LC Sch- CA R Kingfisher IV 52 Psittaciformes Psittaculidae Rose-ringed Psittacula krameri LC Sch- FR R Parakeet IV 53 Passeriformes Dicruridae Black Drongo Dicrurus macrocercus LC Sch- IN R IV 54 Passeriformes Corvidae House Crow Corvus splendens LC Sch-V OM R 55 Passeriformes Corvidae Large-billed Crow Corvus macrorhynchos LC Sch- OM R IV 56 Passeriformes Dicaeidae Pale-billed Dicaeum LC Sch- NE/FR R Flowerpecker erythrorhynchos IV 57 Passeriformes Nectariniidae Purple-rumped Leptocoma zeylonica LC Sch- NE R Sunbird IV 58 Passeriformes Nectariniidae Purple Sunbird Cinnyris asiaticus LC Sch- NE R IV 59 Passeriformes Estrildidae Scaly-breasted Lonchura punctulata LC Sch- GR R Munia IV 60 Passeriformes Estrildidae Tricoloured Lonchura malacca LC Sch- GR R Munia IV 61 Passeriformes Motacillidae Paddyfield Pipit Anthus rufulus LC Sch- IN R IV 62 Passeriformes Motacillidae Western Yellow Motacilla flava LC Sch- IN R/M Wagtail IV 63 Passeriformes Motacillidae White-browed Motacilla LC Sch- IN R Wagtail maderaspatensis IV

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64 Passeriformes Cisticolidae Common Orthotomus sutorius LC Sch- IN R Tailorbird IV 65 Passeriformes Acrocephalidae Booted Warbler Iduna caligata LC Sch- IN R/M IV 66 Passeriformes Acrocephalidae Blyth's Reed Acrocephalus LC Sch- IN R/M Warbler dumetorum IV 67 Passeriformes Hirundinidae Red-rumped Cecropis daurica LC Sch- IN R/M Swallow IV 68 Passeriformes Hirundinidae Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica LC Sch- IN R/M IV 69 Passeriformes Pycnonotidae Red-vented Pycnonotus cafer LC Sch- FR R Bulbul IV 70 Passeriformes Leiothrichidae Yellow-billed Turdoides affinis LC Sch- IN R Babbler IV 71 Passeriformes Sturnidae Common Myna Acridotheres tristis LC Sch- OM R IV 72 Passeriformes Sturnidae Jungle Myna Acridotheres fuscus LC Sch- OM R IV 73 Passeriformes Muscicapidae Oriental Magpie Copsychus saularis LC Sch- IN R Robin IV Status: R/M-Local Migrant; R-Resident; WM-Winter Migrant. Feeding Guild: Herbivore (HR), Piscivore (PI), Omnivore (OM), Insectivore (IN), Frugivore (FR), Granivore (GR), Nectarivore (NE) and Carnivore (CA) International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) categories: LC - least concern; NT - near-threatened. * The information is based on the IUCN Red List (IUCN 2019).

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Table: 2 Ecological Indices of the Birds in Theroor Wetland from Aug 2018 to July 2018

Ecological Indices Months Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May June july No. of Species 60 57 66 67 67 69 65 69 58 62 61 60 No. of Individuals 623 529 1210 1834 1651 1158 1412 1266 688 739 730 605 Dominance 0.04971 0.05 0.0976 0.1425 0.1063 0.06314 0.07246 0.07695 0.0589 0.07716 0.1068 0.06538 Simpson Diversity 0.9503 0.95 0.9024 0.8575 0.8937 0.9369 0.9275 0.923 0.9411 0.9228 0.8932 0.9346 Shannon wiener 3.509 3.449 3.054 2.672 2.873 3.288 3.122 3.214 3.332 3.18 3.048 3.306 Diversity Pielou's Evenness 0.5568 0.5519 0.3213 0.216 0.2641 0.3883 0.349 0.3605 0.4826 0.3879 0.3455 0.4544 Margalef Richness 9.169 8.93 9.157 8.783 8.908 9.639 8.824 9.519 8.724 9.235 9.1 9.211

Table: 3 Seasonal Ecological Indices of the Birds in Theroor Wetland

Ecological Indices Seasons Post-Monsoon Winter Summer Monsoon No.of Species 71 71 71 61 No. of Individuals 4695 2570 2693 2487 Dominance 0.1143 0.06494 0.056 0.06052 Simpson Diversity 0.8857 0.9351 0.944 0.9395 Shannon wiener Diversity 2.887 3.237 3.419 3.385 Pielou's Evenness 0.2527 0.3586 0.4299 0.4841 Margalef Richness 8.28 8.915 8.863 7.674

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