Bird diversity of the Amrutganga Valley, Kedarnath, Uttarakhand, India with an emphasis on the elevational distribution of species

By

Dixit, Soham
Joshi, Viral
Barve, Sahas

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2016-4-17

Original Publication

Check list : journal of species lists and distribution

Volume

12

Series / Issue

Issue: 2

Pages

1874--11

Subjects

avifauna , elevational distribution , elevational migration , Kedarnath , western Himalayas

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

[São Paulo, Brazil] Luís Felipe Toledo 2005-

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15560/12.2.1874

 

Abstract

A unique aspect of montane birds is the elevational stratification they show in their distribution, but in the Himalayas, a subset of the species show elevational migration, making bird communities on these mountains especially dynamic. Thus, understanding the elevational distribution and movement of species across seasons is important to fully understand broad-scale community patterns. In this study, we compile a comprehensive checklist of birds along a 2,300 m Hima­layan elevational gradient in the Amrutganga Valley, Kedarnath Wildlife Division, Uttarakhand, India. We recorded 244 species including 34 species new for the area and two new species for the state. Most importantly, we describe the elevational distribution of more than a 200 species and the dates of first sighting for several summer migrants in the season. We also studied changes in species richness and turnover at multiple elevations across seasons. We hope that this study provides a baseline for future research on elevational distribution of birds in the Western Himalayas.