Research Article | Published: 15 December 2023

Bird species richness and habitat guilds at isolated forest patch in Turahalli Minor Forest, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

R. Ashwini and Vijaya Kumara

Indian Journal of Forestry | Volume: 46 | Issue: 3 | Page No. 158-165 | 2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.54207/bsmps1000-2023-6RW434 | Cite this article

Abstract

Analyzing habitat preferences and foraging dynamics can be useful in understanding how birds adapt to changing physical environments. This is the first-ever study that was carried out on Avian feeding and Habitat guild of the Turahalli minor forest. Our study compares foraging patterns and habitat preferences among bird species by using One-way ANOVA, Tukey’s multiple comparison test, Kruskal-Wallis test and Mann-Whitney U tests. Observations based on habitat and diet affinities accounted for rich avian diversity with a total of 139 bird species recorded from five different habitats from October 2020 to November 2022. Large trees (95 species) harbored more species followed by shrub and thorny (30 species) and open ground (8 species). Bird assemblages were richer in large tree habitats and shrub and thorny habitats and findings showed that there was no significant difference in bird species richness between the habitats. Insectivorous species (39%) and carnivorous species (30%) exceeded other feeding guilds in the study area. Results of the study showed that different functional groups of avifauna behaved differently, primarily persuaded by choice of food. By providing birds with stable foraging, roosting, and nesting options, habitat heterogeneity supported avifaunal persistence.

Keywords

Avifauna, Bird ecology, Feeding guild, Habitats, Insectivores

Access Options

250/-

Buy Full Access in HTML Format

Instant access to the full article.

Get access to the full version of this article. Buy Full Access in HTML Format

References

1. Aggarwal, S., Sahi, D.N. and Wani, A., 2008. Feeding guilds of avifauna of Nandni Wildlife Sanctuary, Jammu (Jammu and Kashmir). The Ecoscan, pp.157-160.

Google Scholar

2. Ali, S. and Ripley, S.D., 2007. Handbook of the birds of India and Pakistan, Oxford University press, New Delhi, Vol. 2.

Google Scholar

3. Ashwini, R. and Vijaya Kumara, 2023. Status, Diversity and Conservation of Avifauna at Turahalli Minor Forest, Bangalore, Karnataka, India. Advances in Zoology and Botany, 11(4), pp.257-269.  https://doi.org/10.13189/azb.2023.110403

4. Azman, N.M., Latip, N.S.A., Sah, S.A.M., Akil, M.A.M.M., Shafie, N.J. and Khairuddin, N.L., 2011. Avian Diversity and Feeding Guilds in a Secondary Forest, an Oil Palm Plantation and a Paddy Field in Riparian Areas of the Kerian River Basin, Perak, Malaysia. J Trop. Life Sci. Res, 22(2), pp.45-64.

Google Scholar

5. Balestrieri, R., Basile, M., Posillico, M., Altea, T., de Cinti, B. and Matteucci, G., 2015. A guild-based approach to assessing the influence of beech forest structure on bird communities. Forest Ecology and Management, 356, pp.216–223.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2015.07.011

Google Scholar

6. Bibby, C.J., Burgess, N.D., Hill, D.A. and Mustoe, S.H., 2000. Bird census techniques. 2nd edition. Academic Press, London.

Google Scholar

7. Bonilla, E.P.D., León-Cortés, J.L. and Rangel-Salazar, J.L., 2012. Diversity of bird feeding guilds in relation to habitat heterogeneity and land-use cover in a human-modified landscape in southern Mexico. Journal of Tropical Ecology, 28(4), pp.369-376.  https://doi.org/10.1017/S026646741200034X

Google Scholar

8. Chatterjee, A., Adhikari, S., Barik, A. and Mukhopadhyay, S.K., 2013. The mid-winter assemblage and diversity of bird populations at Patlakhawa protected forest, Coochbehar, West Bengal, India. Ring, 35, pp.31-53.  https://doi.org/10.2478/ring-2013-0002

Google Scholar

9. Chatterjee, S. and Basu, P., 2015. Avian frugivory and seed dispersal of a large fruited tree in an Indian moist deciduous forest. Acta Oecologica, 65–66, pp.32-40.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actao.2015.04.003

Google Scholar

10. Chettri, N., Sharma, E. and Deb, D.C., 2001. Bird community structure along a trekking corridor of Sikkim Himalaya: a conservation perspective. Biological Conservation, 102, pp.1-16.  https://doi.org/10.1016/S0006-3207(01)00092-1

Google Scholar

11. Deagle, B. and Tollit, D.J. 2007. Quantitative analysis of prey DNA in pinniped faeces: Potential to estimate diet composition? Conservation Genetics, 8(3), pp.743-747.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-006-9197-7

Google Scholar

12. De Graaf, R.M., Tilghman, N.G. and Anderson, S.H., 1985. Foraging guilds of North American birds. Environmental Management, 9, pp.493-536.  https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01867324

Google Scholar

13. Díaz, S., Tilman, D. and Fargione, J., 2005. Biodiversity regulation of ecosystem services. In Hassan, R., Scholes, R., Ash, N., (eds), Ecosystems and human well-being: Current state and trends Washington (D.C.): Island Press, pp.297-329.

Google Scholar

14. Ding, Z., Liang, J., Hu,Y.,  Zhou, Z., Sun, H., Liu, L., Liu, H., Hu, H. and Si, X., 2019. Different responses of avian feeding guilds to spatial and environmental factors across an elevation gradient in the central Himalaya. Ecology and Evolution, 9, pp. 4116-4128.  https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.5040

Google Scholar

15. Ferger, S.W., Schleuning, M., Hemp, A., Howell, K.M. and Bohning-Gaese, K., 2014. Food resources and vegetation structure mediate climatic effects on species richness of birds. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 23, pp.541-549.  https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.12151

Google Scholar

16. Geisler, C.C., Ghazoul, J. and Hellier, A., 2000. Setting critical limits to ecological indicators of sustainable tropical forestry. International Forestry Review, 2(4), pp.243-253.

Google Scholar

17. Gomes, L.G.L., Oostra, V., Nijman, V., Cleef, A.M. and Kappelle, M., 2008. Tolerance of frugivorous birds to habitat disturbance in a tropical cloud forest. Biological Conservation, 141(3), pp.860-871.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2008.01.007

Google Scholar

18. González-Salazar, C., Martínez-Meyer, E. and López-Santiago, G., 2014.  Hierarchical classification of tropic guilds for birds and mammals of North America. Revista Mexicana De Biodiversidad, 85(3), pp.931-941.  https://doi.org/10.7550/rmb.38023

Google Scholar

19. Grant, E. Canterbury, Thomas, E. Martin, Daniel R. Petit, Lisa J. Petit and David F. Bradford, 2000. Bird Communities and Habitat as Ecological Indicators of Forest Condition in Regional Monitoring. Conservation Biology, 14(2), pp.544-558.  https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1523-1739.2000.98235.x

Google Scholar

20. Gray, M.A., Baldauf, S.L., Mayhew, P.J. and Hill, J.K., 2007. The response of avian feeding guilds to tropical forest disturbance. Conservation Biology, 21(1, pp.33-141.  https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2006.00557.x

Google Scholar

21. Gregory, R.D., Vorisek, P., Noble, D.G., Strien, A.V., Klvanova, A., Eaton, M., Meyling, A.W.G., Joys, A., Foppen, R.P.B. and Burfield, I.J., 2008. The generation and use of bird population indicators in Europe. Bird Conservation International, 18, pp.S223-S244.  https://doi.org/10.1017/S0959270908000312

Google Scholar

22. Grewal, B., Sen, S., Singh, S., Devasar, N. and Bhatia, G., 2017. A pictorial field guide to birds of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. Om books International.

Google Scholar

23. Grimmett, R., Inskipp, C. and Inskipp, T., 2011. Helm Field Guides-Birds of the Indian Subcontinent. Christopher Helm.

24. Hammer, O., Harper, D.A.T. and Ryan, P.D., 2001. PAST: Paleontological statistics software package for education and data analysis. Palaeontologia Electronica, 4(1).

Google Scholar

25. Hemanth, K.V., Jain, M., Singh, I. and Chundeli, F.A., 2021. An Assessment of Turahalli Mountain Biking Trail Using Sustainable Trailing Design Guidelines of IMBA. Journal of The Institution of Engineers (India): Series A, 102, pp.841-849.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s40030-021-00537-w

Google Scholar

26. Imai, H. and Nakashizuka., T., 2010.  Environmental factors affecting the composition and diversity of avian community in mid- to late breeding season in urban parks and green spaces. Landsc Urban Plan, 96(3), pp.183-194.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2010.03.006

Google Scholar

27. James, R.K. and Roland, R.R., 1971. Vegetation Structure and Avian Diversity in Several New World Areas. The American Naturalist, 115(945), pp.423-435.  https://doi.org/10.1086/282735

Google Scholar

28. Johns, A.D., 1991. Responses of Amazonian rain forest birds to habitat modification. Journal of Tropical Ecology, 7(4), pp.417-437.  https://doi.org/10.1017/S0266467400005812

Google Scholar

29. Katuwal, H.B.,  Basnet, K., Khanal, B., Devkota, S., Rai, S.K., Gajurel, J.P., Scheidegger, C. and Nobis, M.P., 2016. Seasonal changes in bird species and feeding guilds along elevational gradients of the central Himalayas, Nepal. PLoS One, 11, e0158362.  https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0158362

Google Scholar

30. Kissling, W.D., Rahbek, C. and Böhning-Gaese, K., 2007. Food plant diversity as broad-scale determinant of avian frugivore richness. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 274, pp.799-808.  https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2006.0311

Google Scholar

31. Kissling, W.D., Sekercioglu, C.H. and Jetz, W., 2012. Bird dietary guild richness across latitudes, environments and biogeographic regions. Global Ecology and Biogeography 21, pp.328-340.  https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1466-8238.2011.00679.x

Google Scholar

32. Kornan, M. and Adamik, P., 2007. Foraging guild structure within a primeval mixed forest bird assemblage: a comparison of two concepts. Community Ecology, 8(2), pp.133-149.  https://doi.org/10.1556/ComEc.8.2007.2.1

Google Scholar

33. Kottawa-Arachchi, J.D. and Gamage, R.N., 2015. Avifaunal diversity and bird community responses to man-made habitats in St. Coombs Tea Estate, Sri Lanka. Journal of Threatened Species, 7, pp.6878-6890.  https://doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o3483.6878-90

Google Scholar

34. Lawson, J.H., Bignell, D.E., Bolton, B., Bloemers, G.F., Eggleton, P., Hammond, P.M., Hodda, M., Holt, R.D., Larsen, T.B., Mawdsley, N.A., Stork, N.E., Srivastava, D.S. and Watt, A.D., 1998. Biodiversity inventories, indicator taxa, and effects of habitat modification in tropical forest. Nature, 391, pp.72-76.  https://doi.org/10.1038/34166

Google Scholar

35. Lewis, S.B., Fuller, M.R and Titus, K., 2004. A comparison of 3 methods for assessing raptor diet during the breeding season. Wildlife Society Bulletin, 32(2), pp.373-385.  https://doi.org/10.2193/0091-7648(2004)32[373:ACOMFA]2.0.CO;2

Google Scholar

36. Lorenzón, R.E., Beltzer, A.H., Olguin, P.F. and Ronchi-Virgolini, A.L., 2016. Habitat heterogeneity drives bird species richness, nestedness and habitat selection by individual species in fluvial wetlands of the Paraná River, Argentina. Austral Ecology, 41(7), pp. 829-841.  https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.12375

Google Scholar

37. MacArthur, R.H. and MacArthur, J.W., 1961. On bird species diversity. Ecology, 42, pp.594-598.  https://doi.org/10.2307/1932254

Google Scholar

38. Martin L. Cody, 1981. Habitat Selection in Birds: The Roles of Vegetation Structure, Competitors, and Productivity. Bioscience, 31 (2), pp.107-113.  https://doi.org/10.2307/1308252

Google Scholar

39. Mukhopadhyay, S. and Mazumdar, S., 2019. Habitat-wise composition and foraging guilds of avian community in a suburban landscape of lower Gangetic plains, West Bengal, India. Biologia, 74, pp. 1001-1010.  https://doi.org/10.2478/s11756-019-00226-x

Google Scholar

40. O’Connell, T.J., Jackson, L.E. and Brooks, R.P., 2000. Bird guilds as indicators of ecological conditions in the central Appalachians. Ecological Applications, 10(6), pp.1706-1721.  https://doi.org/10.1890/1051-0761(2000)010[1706:BGAIOE]2.0.CO;2

Google Scholar

41. Oehm, J., Juen., A, Nagiller, K., Neuhauser, S. and Traugott, M., 2011. Molecular scatology: how to improve prey DNA detection success in avian faeces? Molecular Ecology Resources 11, pp.620–628. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1755-0998.2011.03001.x

Google Scholar

42. Perera, P., Wijesinghe, S., Dayawansa, N., Marasinghe, S. and Wickramarachchi, C., 2017. Response of tropical birds to habitat modifications in fragmented forest patches: a case from a tropical lowland rainforest in south-west Sri Lanka. Community Ecology, 18, pp.175-183.  https://doi.org/10.1556/168.2017.18.2.7

Google Scholar

43. Pettorelli, N., Ryan, S., Mueller, T., Bunnefeld, N., Jędrzejewska, B., Lima, M. and Kausrud, K., 2011. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI): unforeseen successes in animal ecology. Climate Research, 46(1), pp.15-27.  https://doi.org/10.3354/cr00936

Google Scholar

44. Pinotti, B.T., Pagotto, C.P. and Pardini, R., 2012. Habitat structure and food resources for wildlife across successional stages in a tropical forest. Forest Ecology and Management, 283, pp.119-127.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2012.07.020

Google Scholar

45. Puttick, G.M., 1984. Foraging and Activity Patterns in Wintering Shorebirds. In Burger, J. and B.L. Olla  (eds), Behavior of Marine Animals, Shorebirds: Migration and Foraging Behaviour, Plenum Press, New York, London.

Google Scholar

46. Prajapati, S.H. and Prajapati, R.P., 2013. Classified guilds in avian community with respect to food and feeding behaviour. Indian Journal of Scientific Research and Technology, 1, pp.1-7.

Google Scholar

47. Rajpar, M.N. and Zakaria, M., 2011. Bird species abundance and their correlationship with microclimate and habitat variables at natural wetland reserve, peninsular Malaysia. International Journal of Zoology.  https://doi.org/10.1155/2011/758573

Google Scholar

48. Root, R., 1967. The Niche Exploitation Pattern of the Blue-Gray Gnat Catcher. Ecological Monographs, 37, pp.317-350.  https://doi.org/10.2307/1942327

Google Scholar

49. Sekercioglu, C.H., Primack, R.B. and Wormworth, J., 2012. The effects of climate change on tropicalbirds. Biological Conservation 148(1), pp. 1-18.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2011.10.019

Google Scholar

50. Shankar Raman, T.R., Rawat, G.S. and Johnsingh, A.J.T., 1998. Recovery of tropical rainforest avifauna in relation to vegetation succession following shifting cultivation in Mizoram, north-east India. Journal of Applied Ecology, 35, pp.214-231.  https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2664.1998.00297.x

Google Scholar

51. Sheppard, S.K., Bell, J., Sunderland, K.D., Fenlon, J., Skervin, D., and Symondson, W.O.C., 2005. Detection of secondary predation by PCR analyses of the gut contents of invertebrate generalist predators. Molecular Ecology, 14, pp.4461-4468.  https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-294X.2005.02742.x

Google Scholar

52. Somasundaram, S. and Vijayan, L., 2008. Foraging Behaviour and Guild Structure of Birds in the Montane Wet Temperate Forest of the Palni Hills, South India. Podoces, 3(1/2), pp.79-91.

Google Scholar

53. Steele, J.H., 2009. Assessment of some linear food web methods. Journal of Marine Systems, 76, pp.186-194.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmarsys.2008.05.012

Google Scholar

54. Sudhira, H.S. and Nagendra, H., 2013. Local Assessment of Bangalore: Graying and Greening in Bangalore – Impacts of Urbanization on Ecosystems, Ecosystem Services and Biodiversity. In Elmqvist, T., et al. (eds), Urbanization, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services: Challenges and Opportunities. Springer, Dordrecht.  https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7088-1_7

Google Scholar

55. Sutherland, W.J., 2006.  Ecological census techniques: a handbook. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, New York.  https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511790508

Google Scholar

56. Tanalgo, K.C., Pineda, J.A.F., Agravante, M.E. and Amerol, Z.M., 2015. Bird diversity and structure in different land-use types in lowland south-central Mindanao, Philippines. Tropical Life Sciences Research, 26(2), pp.85-103.

Google Scholar

57. Trager, M. and Mistry, S., 2003. Avian community composition of kopjes in a heterogeneous landscape. Oecologia, 135, pp.458-468.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-003-1204-9

Google Scholar

58. Weller, N.W., 1978. Management of Freshwater Marshes for Wildlife. In Good, R.E., D.F. Whigham and R.L. Simpson (eds)-Fresh Water Wetlands: Ecological Processes and Management Potential, Academic Press, New York, pp.267-284.

Google Scholar

59. Whelan, C.J., Wenny D.G. and Marquis R.J., 2008. Ecosystem services provided by birds. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences., 1134 (1), pp.25-60.  https://doi.org/10.1196/annals.1439.003

Google Scholar

About this article

How to cite

Ashwini, R. and Kumara, V., 2023. Bird species richness and habitat guilds at isolated forest patch in Turahalli Minor Forest, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. Indian Journal of Forestry, 46(3), pp.158-165. https://doi.org/10.54207/bsmps1000-2023-6RW434

Publication History

Manuscript Received on 20 February 2023

Manuscript Revised on 01 December 2023

Manuscript Accepted on 05 December 2023

Manuscript Published on 15 December 2023

Share this article

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: