Diversity and distribution of avifauna at Warathenna-Hakkinda Environmental Protection Area in Kandy, Sri Lanka

The present study was carried out in the recently established Warathenna-Hakkinda EPA in the Kandy District, Sri Lanka to investigate the avifaunal diversity and conservation threats. Sampling was conducted in two main habitat types: river islands and riverine forests. Both point count (10 m radius) and line transect (200 m long) methods were utilized and maximum of 30 minutes was used to sample the birds in each point. Food habit, niche type, endemism, abundance, and diversity indices (Shannon & Margalef) were calculated to compare the two habitats in this area. A total of 74 bird species belonging to 61 genera and 35 families were encountered from the study site. Among these, seven species are endemic: Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill, Sri Lanka Green Pigeon, Sri Lanka Wood Pigeon, Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot, Crimson-fronted Barbet, Yellow-fronted Barbet, and Sri Lanka Hill Mynah; while six were migratory: Green Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Indian Pitta, Asian Brown Flycatcher, Yellow Wagtail, and Grey Wagtail and the rest were non-endemic natives. Most of them were canopy and sub canopy dwellers associated with riverine forests and islands. According to the National Red List of Sri Lanka, three species, the Sri Lanka Wood Pigeon, Sri Lanka Hill Mynah, and Alpine Swift, are listed as threatened. Ardeidae, Alcedinidae, Columbidae, Accipitridae, and Apodidae were the most species rich families in this habitat. Out of the sampled species, 31% and 25% of the birds were carnivores and insectivores, respectively, while 5% were nectarivores. According to the avifauna, the riverine forests are more diverse (Shannon index H’= 2.55; Margalef’s index M= 10.92) than the river islands (H’= 2.29; M= 5.07) in this landscape. The variety of habitats along the Mahaweli River at Warathenna appears to aid in sustaining a rich bird community and this Environmental Protection Area will help create a safe haven for the birds.

Birds of Surat-Dangs: a consolidated checklist of 75 years (1944–2020) with special emphasis on noteworthy bird records and bird hotspots from northern Western Ghats of Gujarat, India

Surat-Dangs, historically known as a Bhil State, is the northernmost tip of Western Ghats in the state of Gujarat. Despite being a part of an endemic bird area and global biodiversity hotspot, avifaunal diversity has been less documented in the landscape. Two protected areas, Purna Wildlife Sanctuary and Vansda National Park, are designated in the landscape. A handful of studies on birds have been conducted after Dr. Salim Ali’s collection in 1944–48. We surveyed the landscape (both protected and non-protected areas) in 2012–13 and 2015–2018 for documentation of the avifaunal diversity. We present a consolidated checklist of birds from our surveys as primary data and all published literature and eBird checklists as secondary data. We have reported a total of 297 bird species belonging to 70 families and 21 orders including the first record of Nilgiri Wood-Pigeon Columba elphinstonii for the State as well as Purna Wildlife Sanctuary. Here, we have re-reported various species, which was suspected to be locally extinct from the protected area or landscape among other noteworthy bird records. We have identified bird-rich localities outside the protected areas based on the survey done by Salim Ali (1944–48) that can be used for future surveys. We also propose the landscape to be declared as an Important Bird Area (IBA) as per Global IBA criteria (A1, A2, & A3), which will pave the milestone for future conservation endeavors in the landscape.

Post-emergence seedling damage due to vertebrate pests and its impact on soybean establishment

The quality of field crop establishment is an indicator of the productivity and yield quality of a given crop. Several biotic and abiotic factors, as well as cropping practices, affect the quality of field crop establishment. More specifically to soybean, recent studies quantified pre-emergence seedling losses and identified the associated causes of non-emergence. However, little is known about post-emergence seedling damage, mainly due to vertebrate pests, which represent an important problem for growers. A 2-year field observation was conducted to quantify near- and post-emergence seedling damage due to vertebrate pests. The common wood pigeon (Columba palumbus) and the European hare (Lepus europaeus) were associated with this kind of damage. The characteristic damage due to the common wood pigeon consisted of either partially-damaged cotyledons during emergence or completely uprooted seedlings at emergence. In contrast, damage due to the European hare consisted of chewed seedling or seedling parts. There was significant effect of year (p < 0.001) on the final rates of post-emergence seedling damage due to the wood pigeon but not on those due to the European hare. The final rates of post-emergence damage due to the wood pigeon were higher (32% for 2018 and 22% for 2020) compared with those owing to the European hare (18% for 2018 and 17% for 2020). The severity of damage due to vertebrate pests was related to the type of seedling damage that, in turn, affected the capacity of soybean to compensate for post-emergence seedling damage.