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

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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). Volume XII, Issue IV, 2020 Page No: 1971 Journal of Xi'an University of Architecture & Technology ISSN No : 1006-7930 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. Volume XII, Issue IV, 2020 Page No: 1972 Journal of Xi'an University of Architecture & Technology ISSN No : 1006-7930 Materials and Methods Study Area Fig: 1 Satellite view of the Study area – Theroor Wetland Fig: 2 Study area – Theroor Wetland Volume XII, Issue IV, 2020 Page No: 1973 Journal of Xi'an University of Architecture & Technology ISSN No : 1006-7930 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). Volume XII, Issue IV, 2020 Page No: 1974 Journal of Xi'an University of Architecture & Technology ISSN No : 1006-7930 Fig. 3 Feeding Guild of Birds in Theroor Wetland 25 23 20 15 15 13 10 7 7 No. Individualsof 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% Volume XII, Issue IV, 2020 Page No: 1975 Journal of Xi'an University of Architecture & Technology ISSN No : 1006-7930 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 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 Volume XII, Issue IV, 2020 Page No: 1976 Journal of Xi'an University of Architecture & Technology ISSN No : 1006-7930 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).
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