Bird diversity along riverine areas in the Bhagirathi Valley, Uttarakhand, India

By

Sinha, Ankita
Hariharan, Hima
Adhikari, Bhupendra
Krishnamurthy, Ramesh

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2019-04-30

Original Publication

Biodiversity data journal

Volume

7

Pages

1--30

Subjects

avifauna , Bhagirathi , elevational gradient , Habitat , riverine forests , Western Himalaya

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia Pensoft Publishers [2013]-

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.7.e31588
eLocator: e31588

 

Abstract

Natural riverine areas mark ecotonal habitats harbouring a characteristically diverse faunal assemblage, especially birds that also use these habitats as pathways crucial for their movement. Increasingly, riverine systems are subjected to large-scale habitat alterations due to climatic fluctuations and anthropogenic changes. Therefore, it is important to understand broad-scale community patterns for conservation planning and prioritisation for these ecotone habitats. The Bhagirathi river is one of the major headwaters of the river Ganges; despite its rich and diverse fauna, little is known about the bird species that inhabit this montane region. This study presents an extensive list of 281 bird species from 59 families, their seasonal distribution and habitat associations as recorded from field surveys along the riverine areas between April 2013 and May 2018. The present communication simultaneously discusses a few noteworthy sightings for the region and provides a baseline for future research on the distribution of birds in the Western Himalaya.