Avifaunal Composition of Municipal Areas of Ajmer District,
Rajasthan, India

Upadhyay M; Vyas R; Sharma V and Mehra SP

doi:10.23880/jenr-16000192

Journal of Ecology & Natural Resources Research Article 10 min read

Avifaunal Composition of Municipal Areas of Ajmer District, Rajasthan, India

Upadhyay M, Vyas R, Sharma V and Mehra SP^*

^* Corresponding author

ISSN: 2578-4994 10.23880/jenr-16000192 Received: February 21, 2020 Published: March 24, 2020

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Keywords

Avifauna Urban Habitats Ajmer Rajasthan

Abstract

The urbanization is the key phenomenon of the Information Age. The tremendous growth of the urban areas has developed a new interest of the conservationists to work in the direction of synchronizing the conservation of the habitats and associated species with the pace of development. These man-made ecosystems have the spaces with high biological diversity. In the series of the work of the authors in the central chain of the Aravalli Hills (Rajasthan, India), the present investigation has been carried out in the urban areas of the central district of Rajasthan, i.e., Ajmer. The investigation aimed to review and prepare comprehensive database through assessment of the avifaunal species of the municipal area of Ajmer. The seasonal surveys and periodic sampling observations were taken for twenty-four months from February 2017 to January 2019. In the present study the urban area was classified into three regions namely, the Urban Green Patches (UGP), Urban Aquatic Area (UAA) and Human Settlement Area (HSA). The terrestrial habitats of UGA &amp; HSA harbored 104 species and 41 species respectively whereas the aquatic habitats categorized as UAA harbored 95 species. The Relative Diversity Index of the various species was calculated to observe the species dominance in a particular area. Thus, the present investigation recorded 167 species from 58 families. The earlier studies recorded around 235 species of 62 families from the Ajmer District which included the urban, rurban and rural environs. There was addition of 13 new species in the checklist along with two families. Thus, the cumulative list presents an account of 243 bird species from 64 families from different habitats of Ajmer District.

Introduction

The urbanization process has given rise to the human dominated landscapes with complex ecological systems as the urban ecosystems which need to be explored and converted to the opportunity [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]. Such man-made ecosystems have certain areas of high biological diversity. These sites are the point of interest for the conservationists for the study of the urban biodiversity especially avifauna. The patterns of biodiversity determine the features of the urban ecosystems.

Rajasthan (India) owes diversity of the habitats which area also evident in the human settlements. The western low rainfall desert region, central hilly terrains, eastern high rainfall terrains of plains and plateau provide habitats for diverse avifauna. Over 500 avifaunal species are being recorded from the state of Rajasthan. The Aravalli Hills harbor over 300 avifaunal species, near about eighty percent of which are recorded from the central parts [3, 5, 6, 8]. The study of the birds gives the better understanding of the past and present status of the biodiversity of the area. The environmental challenges could be better understood by the birds [9, 10, 11]. Further, monitoring the species abundance, habitat preference, and correlation between species abundance and habitat provides basic information for determining factors causing population fluctuation of bird species. Richness, abundance and community composition are often used by ecologists to understand the diversity of species in their natural occurrence [12]. The change in vegetation composition could impact the quality and quantity of habitat for birds in terms of food, water and cover which can further affect the diversity, abundance and distribution of birds [13]. In order to prioritize the future conservation of species, understanding the effect of habitat on bird community structure is important [14]. In the long run, the relative value of different habitats and conservation importance of sites can be assessed by investigating the diversity of birds present at those sites [15].

Material and Methods

Profile of Study Area

Rajasthan is situated in north – western part of India between the latitude 230 03’ to 300 12’ N and longitude 690 30’ to 780 17’E. It is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. Geographical features include the Thar Desert, Aravalli Mountain Ranges, Southern Malwa Plateau and Eastern plains. The Ajmer District is located nearly in the center of the Rajasthan and bordered with one of the world oldest mountain ranges i.e. Aravalli Hills (Figure 1). The Ajmer Municipal area lies in the foothills of the Central Aravalli Hills with the highest peak Taragarh (870 feet) (Figure 2). It experiences a mean annual rainfall of 573mm but scanty and often uncertain. Temperature ranges from 20C to 460C. The summers are extremely hot in this part. However, there are many climate changes the Aravalli has witnessed in the recent past, particularly the rainfall, temperature fluctuation and shift of weathers.

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Figure 1: Map of Rajasthan Highlighted with Ajmer District (In Inset Map of India).

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Figure 2: Map of Ajmer Municipal Area of Ajmer District, Rajasthan.

For the ease of study, the habitats of the municipal area of Ajmer city in the present study was categorized under two broad groups.

A. Urban Aquatic Areas (UAA): All perennial and seasonal water bodies within the municipal limits of Ajmer city were categorized under Urban Aquatic Areas (Anasagar Lake, Foy Sagar Lake, Chaurasiywas Talab, Paal Bichla Talab and Khanpura Talab). B. Urban Terrestrial Areas: The terrestrial area within the municipal limits of Ajmer city which was further classified as: Human Settlement Areas (HSA): Areas with direct human involvement and high anthropogenic pressure were included in this category (Constructed areas, buildings, roads etc.). Urban Green Patches (UGP): This includes areas with less human intervention and lesser anthropogenic pressure (Institutional and Urban gardens, Agricultural fields, green patches of hillock of Aravalli).

Field Studies and Surveys

The field surveys and observations were taken for the period of two years February 2017 to January 2019. Recording of the bird species were also made from the calls. Regular surveys carried out by systematically walking on the fixed routes through the study area. Systematic observations of the species in different habitats of the municipal limits (Figure 2) were recorded from 6:00 to 9:00 hrs and from 16:00 to 18:00 hrs. General observations were also made during other timings too. The nomenclature is after Manakadan & Pittie [16], and taxonomic arrangement is following Gill & Donsker [17]. The status of the species like resident, winter migrant, summer migrant and passage migrant were assigned were assigned as per the observations in each survey based on the presence/absence method along with analysis of the other parameters.

Data Collection and Analysis

Relative Diversity (RDi): The relative diversity (RDi) of families was calculated using the following formula [18]

Number of birdspeciesin a family RDi 100 Totalnumber of Species = ×

Similarity Indices: Similarity indices between the intensive study sites were calculated using Jaccard Index and Sorenson Index [12].

Jaccard Index:

$$ c _ {j} = \frac {j}{(a + b - j)} $$

Where j = the number of species common to both sites

Observation and Results

a = the number of species in site A and b = the number of species in site b Sorenson Index:

$$ c _ {8} = \frac {2 j}{(a + b - j)} $$

j = the number of species common to both sites

a = the number of species in site A and

b = the number of species in site b

S. No.	Common Name	Scientific Name	UAA	HSA	UGP
	Grebes	Podicipedidae
1	Little Grebe	Tachybaptus ruficollis	+	-	-
1	Pelicans	Pelecanidae	+	-	-
2	Great White Pelican	Pelecanus onocrotalus	+	-	-
3	Dalmatian Pelican	Pelecanus crispus	+	-	-
3	Cormorants/Shags	Phalacrocoracidae	+	-	-
4	Little Cormorant	Phalacrocorax niger	+	-	-
5	Indian Shag	Phalacrocorax fuscicollis	+	-	-
6	Great Cormorant	Phalacrocorax carbo	+	-	-
6	Darters	Anhingidae	+	-	-
7	Darter	Anhinga melanogaster	+	-	-
7	Herons, Egrets & Bitterns	Ardeidae	+	-	-
8	Little Egret	Egretta garzetta	+	-	-
9	Grey Heron	Ardea cinerea	+	-	-
10	Purple Heron	Ardea purpurea	+	-	-
11	Large Egret	Casmerodius albus	+	-	-
12	Median Egret	Mesophoyx intermedia	+	+	-
13	Cattle Egret	Bubulcus ibis	+	+	+
14	Indian Pond-Heron	Ardeola grayii	+	+	+
15	Little Green Heron	Butorides striatus	+	-	-
16	Black-crowned Night-Heron	Nycticorax nycticorax	+	-	-
16	Storks	Ciconiidae	+	-	-
17	Painted Stork	Mycteria leucocephala	+	-	+
18	Asian Openbill-Stork	Anastomus oscitans	+	-	-
18	Ibises & Spoonbills	Threskiornithidae	+	-	-
19	Glossy Ibis	Plegadis falcinellus	+	-	-
20	Oriental White Ibis	Threskiornis melanocephalus	+	-	-
21	Black Ibis	Pseudibis papillosa	+	-	+
22	Eurasian Spoonbill	Platalea leucorodia	+	-	-
22	Flamingos	Phoenicopteridae	+	-	-
23	Greater Flamingo	Phoenicopterus ruber	+	-	-
23	Swans, Geese & Ducks	Anatidae	+	-	-
24	Greylag Goose	Anser anser	+	-	-
25	Bar-headed Goose	Anser indicus	+	-	-
26	Brahminy Shelduck	Tadorna ferruginea	+	-	-
27	Comb Duck	Sarkidiornis melanotos	+	-	-
28	Gadwall	Anas strepera	+	-	-
29	Eurasian Wigeon	Anas penelope	+	-	-
30	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	+	-	-
31	Spot-billed Duck	Anas poecilorhyncha	+	-	-
32	Northern Shoveller	Anas clypeata	+	-	-
33	Northern Pintail	Anas acuta	+	-	-
34	Garganey	Anas querquedula	+	-	-
35	Common Teal	Anas crecca	+	-	-
36	Red-crested Pochard	Rhodonessa rufina	+	-	-
37	Common Pochard	Aythya ferina	+	-	-
38	Ferruginous Pochard	Aythya nyroca	+	-	-
38	Hawks, Eagles, Buzzards, Old World Vultures, Kites, Harriers	Accipitridae	+	-	-
39	Oriental Honey-Buzzard	Pernis ptilorhynchus	-	-	+
40	Black-shouldered Kite	Elanus caeruleus	-	-	+
41	Black Kite	Milvus migrans	+	+	+
42	Egyptian Vulture	Neophron percnopterus	-	-	+
43	Short-toed Snake-Eagle	Circaetus gallicus	-	-	+
44	Western Marsh-Harrier	Circus aeruginosus	+	-	+
45	Shikra	Accipiter badius	-	+	+
46	Tawny Eagle	Aquila rapax	-	-	+
47	Steppe Eagle	Aquila nipalensis	-	-	+
47	Osprey	Pandionidae	-	-	+
48	Osprey	Pandion haliaetus	+	-	-
48	Falcons	Falconidae	+	-	-
49	Common Kestrel	Falco tinnunculus	-	-	+
49	Pheasants, Partridges, Quails	Phasianidae	-	-	+
50	Grey Francolin	Francolinus pondicerianus	-	+	+
51	Rain Quail	Coturnix coromandelica	-	-	+
52	Jungle Bush-Quail	Perdicula asiatica	-	-	+
53	Indian Peafowl	Pavo cristatus	-	+	+
53	Rails, Crakes, Moorhens, Coots	Rallidae	-	+	+
54	White-breasted Waterhen	Amaurornis phoenicurus	+	-	+
55	Purple Moorhen	Porphyrio porphyrio	+	-	-
56	Common Moorhen	Gallinula chloropus	+	-	-
57	Common Coot	Fulica atra	+	-	-
57	Jacanas	Jacanidae	+	-	-
58	Pheasant-tailed Jacana	Hydrophasianus chirurgus	+	-	-
59	Bronze-winged Jacana	Metopidius indicus	+	-	-
59	Painted-Snipes	Rostratulidae	+	-	-
60	Greater Painted-Snipe	Rostratula benghalensis	+	-	-
60	Plovers, Dotterels, Lapwings	Charadriidae	+	-	-
61	Little Ringed Plover	Charadrius dubius	+	-	-
62	Kentish Plover	Charadrius alexandrinus	+	-	-
63	Yellow-wattled Lapwing	Vanellus malabaricus	+	-	+
64	Red-wattled Lapwing	Vanellus indicus	+	+	+
64	Sandpipers, Stints, Snipes, Godwits & Curlews	Scolopacidae	+	+	+
65	Common Snipe	Gallinago gallinago	+	-	-
66	Black-tailed Godwit	Limosa limosa	+	-	-
67	Spotted Redshank	Tringa erythropus	+	-	-
68	Common Redshank	Tringa totanus	+	-	-
69	Wood Sandpiper	Tringa glareola	+	-	-
70	Common Sandpiper	Actitis hypoleucos	+	-	+
71	Little Stint	Calidris minuta	+	-	+
72	Temminck’s Stint	Calidris temminckii	+	-	-
73	Ruff	Philomachus pugnax	+	-	+
73	Ibisbill, Avocets & Stilts	Recurvirostridae	+	-	+
74	Black-winged Stilt	Himantopus himantopus	+	+	+
75	Pied Avocet	Recurvirostra avosetta	+	-	-
75	Gulls, Terns & Noddies	Laridae	+	-	-
76	Pallas’s Gull	Larus ichthyaetus	+	-	-
77	Brown-headed Gull	Larus brunnicephalus	+	-	-
78	Black-headed Gull	Larus ridibundus	+	-	-
79	Gull-billed Tern	Gelochelidon nilotica	+	-	-
80	River Tern	Sterna aurantia	+	-	-
81	Whiskered Tern	Chlidonias hybridus	+	-	-
81	Sandgrouse	Pteroclididae	+	-	-
82	Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse	Pterocles exustus	-	-	+
83	Painted Sandgrouse	Pterocles indicus	-	-	+
83	Pigeons & Doves	Columbidae	-	-	+
84	Blue Rock Pigeon	Columba livia	+	+	+
85	Little Brown Dove	Streptopelia senegalensis	+	+	+
86	Red Collared-Dove	Streptopelia tranquebarica	-	-	+
87	Eurasian Collared-Dove	Streptopelia decaocto	+	+	+
88	Yellow-legged Green-Pigeon	Treron phoenicoptera	-	-	+
88	Parakeets & Hanging-Parrots	Psittacidae	-	-	+
89	Alexandrine Parakeet	Psittacula eupatria	-	-	+
90	Rose-ringed Parakeet	Psittacula krameri	+	+	+
91	Plum-headed Parakeet	Psittacula cyanocephala	-	-	+
91	Cuckoos, Malkohas & Coucals	Cuculidae	-	-	+
92	Asian Koel	Eudynamys scolopacea	-	+	+
93	Greater Coucal	Centropus sinensis	-	-	+
93	Owls	Strigidae	-	-	+
94	Spotted Owlet	Athene brama	-	+	+
94	Nightjars	Caprimulgidae	-	+	+
95	Common Indian Nightjar	Caprimulgus asiaticus	-	-	+
95	Swifts	Apodidae	-	-	+
96	House Swift	Apus affinis	-	-	+
96	Kingfishers	Alcedinidae	-	-	+
97	Small Blue Kingfisher	Alcedo atthis	+	-	-
98	White-breasted Kingfisher	Halcyon smyrnensis	+	+	+
99	Lesser Pied Kingfisher	Ceryle rudis	+	-	-
99	Bee-eaters	Meropidae	+	-	-
100	Small Bee-eater	Merops orientalis	+	+	+
101	Blue-cheeked Bee-eater	Merops persicus	-	-	+
102	Blue-tailed Bee-eater	Merops philippinus	-	-	+
102	Rollers	Coraciidae	-	-	+
103	European Roller	Coracias garrulus	-	-	+
104	Indian Roller	Coracias benghalensis	+	-	+
104	Hoopoes	Upupidae	+	-	+
105	Common Hoopoe	Upupa epops	-	+	+
105	Hornbills	Bucerotidae	-	+	+
106	Indian Grey Hornbill	Ocyceros birostris	-	+	+
106	Barbets	Capitonidae	-	+	+
107	Coppersmith Barbet	Megalaima haemacephala	-	+	+
107	Woodpeckers	Picidae	-	+	+
108	Eurasian Wryneck	Jynx torquilla	-	-	+
109	Lesser Golden-backed Woodpecker	Dinopium benghalense	-	+	+
109	Larks	Alaudidae	-	+	+
110	Singing Bush-Lark	Mirafra cantillans	-	-	+
111	Common Crested Lark	Galerida cristata	-	-	+
111	Swallows & Martins	Hirundinidae	-	-	+
112	Dusky Crag-Martin	Hirundo concolor	-	+	+
113	Wire-tailed Swallow	Hirundo smithii	+	+	+
114	Red-rumped Swallow	Hirundo daurica	-	-	+
115	Streak-throated Swallow	Hirundo fluvicola	-	-	+
115	Wagtails & Pipits	Motacillidae	-	-	+
116	Large Pied Wagtail	Motacilla maderaspatensis	+	-	-
117	Citrine Wagtail	Motacilla citreola	+	-	-
118	Yellow Wagtail	Motacilla flava	+	-	-
119	Paddyfield Pipit	Anthus rufulus	+	-	+
119	Cuckoo-Shrikes, Flycatcher-Shrikes, Trillers, Minivets, Woodshrikes	Campephagidae	+	-	+
120	Small Minivet	Pericrocotus cinnamomeus	-	-	+
121	Common Woodshrike	Tephrodornis pondicerianus	-	+	+
121	Bulbuls & Finchbills	Pycnonotidae	-	+	+
122	White-eared Bulbul	Pycnonotus leucotis	-	-	+
123	Red-vented Bulbul	Pycnonotus cafer	+	+	+
123	Shrikes	Laniidae	+	+	+
124	Bay-backed Shrike	Lanius vittatus	-	-	+
125	Rufous-backed Shrike	Lanius schach	-	-	+
126	Southern Grey Shrike	Lanius meridionalis	-	+	+
126	Thrushes, Shortwings, Robins, Forktails, Wheaters	Turdinae	-	+	+
127	Bluethroat	Luscinia svecica	+	-	-
128	Oriental Magpie-Robin	Copsychus saularis	-	-	+
129	Indian Robin	Saxicoloides fulicata	-	+	+
130	Black Redstart	Phoenicurus ochruros	-	-	+
131	Common Stonechat	Saxicola torquata	-	-	+
132	Pied Bushchat	Saxicola caprata	-	-	+
133	Desert Wheatear	Oenanthe deserti	-	-	+
134	Isabelline Wheatear	Oenanthe isabellina	-	-	+
135	Indian Chat	Cercomela fusca	-	+	+
135	Babblers, Laughingthrushes, Babaxes, Barwings, Yuhinas	Timaliinae	-	+	+
136	Yellow-eyed Babbler	Chrysomma sinense	+	-	-
137	Common Babbler	Turdoides caudatus	-	-	+
138	Large Grey Babbler	Turdoides malcolmi	-	+	+
139	Jungle Babbler	Turdoides striatus	-	-	+
139	Goldcrest, Prinias, Tesias, Warblers	Sylviinae	-	-	+
140	Ashy Prinia	Prinia socialis	-	+	+
141	Rufous-fronted Prinia	Prinia buchanani	-	-	+
142	Plain Prinia	Prinia inornata	-	-	+
143	Common Chiffchaff	Phylloscopus collybita	-	+	+
144	Common Lesser Whitethroat	Sylvia curruca	-	+	+
144	Flycatchers	Muscicapinae	-	+	+
145	Red-throated Flycatcher	Ficedula parva	-	-	+
146	Grey-headed Flycatcher	Culicicapa ceylonensis	-	-	+
146	Monarch-Flycatchers & Paradise- Flycatchers	Monarchinae	-	-	+
147	Asian Paradise-Flycatcher	Terpsiphone paradisi	-	-	+
147	Fantail-Flycatchers	Rhipidurinae	-	-	+
148	White-browed Fantail-Flycatcher	Rhipidura aureola	-	-	+
148	Tits	Paridae	-	-	+
149	Great Tit	Parus major	-	-	+
149	Sunbirds & Spiderhunters	Nectariniidae	-	-	+
150	Purple Sunbird	Nectarinia asiatica	-	+	+
150	White-eyes	Zosteropidae	-	+	+
151	Oriental White-eye	Zosterops palpebrosus	-	-	+
151	Buntings	Emberizinae	-	-	+
152	Crested Bunting	Melophus lathami	-	-	+
152	Finches	Fringillidae	-	-	+
153	Common Rosefinch	Carpodacus erythrinus	+	-	+
153	Munias (Estrildid Finches)	Estrildidae	+	-	+
154	White-throated Munia	Lonchura malabarica	-	-	+
155	Spotted Munia	Lonchura punctulata	-	-	+
155	Sparrows & Snowfinches	Passerinae	-	-	+
156	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	+	+	+
157	Yellow-throated Sparrow	Petronia xanthocollis	-	-	+
157	Weavers	Ploceinae	-	-	+
158	Baya Weaver	Ploceus philippinus	+	-	+
158	Starlings & Mynas	Sturnidae	+	-	+
159	Brahminy Starling	Sturnus pagodarum	-	+	+
160	Rosy Starling	Sturnus roseus	+	-	+
161	Asian Pied Starling	Sturnus contra	+	+	+
162	Common Myna	Acridotheres tristis	+	+	+
163	Bank Myna	Acridotheres ginginianus	+	+	+
163	Orioles	Oriolidae	+	+	+
164	Eurasian Golden Oriole	Oriolus oriolus	-	-	+
164	Drongos	Dicruridae	-	-	+
165	Black Drongo	Dicrurus macrocercus	+	+	+
165	Crows, Jays, Treepies, Magpies	Corvidae	+	+	+
166	Indian Treepie	Dendrocitta	-	+	+
167	House Crow	Corvus splendens	+	+	+

Table 1: The Avi-Faunal Composition of Municipal Area of Ajmer District, Rajasthan (Family wise species occurrence at classified

S. No.	Family Commonly Known as	Family Name	Overall Rdi	No of Species in UAA	No of Species in HSA	No of Species in UGP
1	Grebes	Podicipedidae	0.6	1	0	0
2	Pelicans	Pelecanidae	1.19	2	0	0
3	Cormorants/Shags	Phalacrocoracidae	1.79	3	0	0
4	Darters	Anhingidae	0.6	1	0	0
5	Herons, Egrets & Bitterns	Ardeidae	5.36	9	3	2
6	Storks	Ciconiidae	1.19	2	0	1
7	Ibises & Spoonbills	Threskiornithidae	2.38	4	0	0
8	Flamingos	Phoenicopteridae	0.6	1	0	0
9	Swans, Geese & Ducks	Anatidae	8.93	15	0	0
10	Hawks, Eagles, Buzzards, Old World Vultures, Kites, Harriers	Accipitridae	5.36	2	2	9
11	Osprey	Pandionidae	0.6	1	0	0
12	Falcons	Falconidae	0.6	0	0	1
13	Pheasants, Partridges, Quails	Phasianidae	2.38	0	2	4
14	Rails, Crakes, Moorhens, Coots	Rallidae	2.38	4	0	1
15	Jacanas	Jacanidae	1.19	2	0	0
16	Painted-Snipes	Rostratulidae	0.6	1	0	0
17	Sandpipers, Stints, Snipes, Godwits & Curlews	Scolopacidae	5.36	4	1	2
18	Plovers, Dotterels, Lapwings	Charadriidae	2.38	9	0	3
19	Ibisbill, Avocets & Stilts	Recurvirostridae	1.19	2	1	1
20	Gulls, Terns & Noddies	Laridae	3.57	6	0	0
21	Sandgrouse	Pteroclididae	1.19	0	0	2
22	Pigeons & Doves	Columbidae	2.98	3	3	5
23	Parakeets & Hanging- Parrots	Psittacidae	1.79	1	1	3
24	Cuckoos, Malkohas & Coucals	Cuculidae	1.19	0	1	2
25	Owls	Strigidae	0.6	0	1	1
26	Nightjars	Caprimulgidae	0.6	0	0	1
27	Swifts	Apodidae	0.6	0	0	1
28	Kingfishers	Alcedinidae	1.79	3	1	1
29	Bee-eaters	Meropidae	1.79	1	1	3
30	Rollers	Coraciidae	1.19	1	0	2
31	Hoopoes	Upupidae	0.6	0	1	1
32	Hornbills	Bucerotidae	0.6	0	1	1
33	Barbets	Capitonidae	0.6	0	1	1
34	Woodpeckers	Picidae	1.19	0	1	2
35	Larks	Alaudidae	1.19	0	0	2
36	Swallows & Martins	Hirundinidae	2.38	1	2	4
37	Wagtails & Pipits	Motacillidae	2.38	4	0	1
38	Cuckoo-Shrikes, Flycatcher-Shrikes, Trillers, Minivets, Woodshrikes	Campephagidae	1.19	0	1	2
39	Bulbuls & Finchbills	Pycnonotidae	1.19	1	1	2
40	Shrikes	Laniidae	1.79	0	1	3
41	Thrushes, Shortwings, Robins, Forktails, Wheaters	Turdinae	5.36	1	2	8
42	Babblers, Laughingthrushes, Babaxes, Barwings, Yuhinas	Timaliinae	2.38	1	1	3
43	Goldcrest, Prinias, Tesias, Warblers	Sylviinae	2.98	0	3	5
44	Flycatchers	Muscicapinae	1.19	0	0	2
45	Monarch-Flycatchers & Paradise-Flycatchers	Monarchinae	0.6	0	0	1
46	Fantail-Flycatchers	Rhipidurinae	0.6	0	0	1
47	Tits	Paridae	0.6	0	0	1
48	Sunbirds & Spiderhunters	Nectariniidae	0.6	0	1	1
49	White-eyes	Zosteropidae	0.6	0	0	1
50	Buntings	Emberizinae	0.6	0	0	1
51	Finches	Fringillidae	0.6	1	0	1
52	Munias (Estrildid Finches)	Estrildidae	1.19	0	0	2
53	Sparrows & Snowfinches	Passerinae	1.19	1	1	2
54	Weavers	Ploceinae	0.6	1	0	1
55	Starlings & Mynas	Sturnidae	3.57	4	4	5
56	Orioles	Oriolidae	0.6	0	0	1
57	Drongos	Dicruridae	0.6	1	1	1
58	Crows, Jays, Treepies, Magpies	Corvidae	1.19	1	2	2
58	Crows, Jays, Treepies, Magpies	Corvidae	100	95	41	104

Table 2: Relative diversity (RDi) of avian families at Municipal area of Ajmer District, Rajasthan and number of species at vario

	Jaccard Index
S o r e n s o n Index		UAA	HAS	UGP
	UAA	UAA	0.1709	0.1976
	HSA	0.2919	0.1709	0.3809
	UGP	0.33	0.5517	0.3809

Table 3: Similarity indices (Jaccard Index and Sorenson Index) between the various study sites.

Figure 3: Observed Species at different Microhabitats of Municipal Area of Ajmer District, Rajasthan.

Observation and Results

In the investigation period of twenty-four months, a total of 167 species of birds belonging to 58 families were recorded in the study area (Table 1). The three different study sites i.e. Urban Aquatic Area (UAA) had 39% of the total species observed; Human Settlement Area (HSA) had 18% and Urban Green Patches (UGP) had 43% of the total species observed (Figure 3). The Relative Diversity of different families was calculated to determine the dominance of species occurrence at a particular study site (Table 2). The highest relative diversity was recorded as of Anatidae family with 15 species and 8.93 RDi followed by Ardeidae, Accipitridae, Scolopacidae and Turdinae families with 9 species each and 5.36 RDi respectively representing the dominance of species occurrence belonging to these families at study area (Table 2). The calculation for the similarity indices among different study sites reveled that Urban Green Patches and Human Settlement Areas had more similar habitat structure as the Jaccard index and Sorenson Index values are higher i.e. 0.3809 and 0.5517 respectively. While on the other hand Urban Aquatic Areas and Human Settlement Areas had very less similarity in habitat characteristics hence the values of Jaccard index and Sorenson Index are lower as 0.1709 and 0.2919 respectively (Table 3).

Overall 95 species belonging to 34 families were present in the Urban Aquatic Area (UAA). The Anatidae family with 15 species dominated the Urban Aquatic Area followed by the Scolopacidae with 9 species. The urban terrestrial area which was further classified for simplification into Human Settlement Area (HAS) and Urban Green Patches (UGP).The Human Settlement Area was represented by 41 species belonging to 27 families. This Area had a lesser number of species and was dominated by Sturnidae family (4 species) followed by Ardeidae, Columbidae, and Sylviinae (3 species each). The Urban Green Patches had 47 families (104 species) and Accipitrae family dominated the area (9 species) followed by Turdinae family (8 species).

Conclusion and Discussion

The present study concluded that the Municipal area of Ajmer district represents near about 68% of the avifaunal diversity observed in different habitats of the Ajmer District as a whole [2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8]. The study area includes the foothills of the oldest mountain range the Aravalli that provides an excellent habitat for various floral and faunal components hence the diversity is rich at the study area. The Urban Aquatic Areas (Anasagar Lake, Foy Sagar Lake, Chaurasiywas Talab, Paal Bichla Talab and Khanpura Talab) represented by the 96 species belonging to the 34 families. The Anasagar Lake, which is located in the central part of Ajmer Municipal area supports the 40 species [19], whereas another study conducted after two years by same authors documented 42 species from the same locality [20]. In the continuation another worker documented 48 species of birds from the Anasagar Lake and 42 species from the Foy Sagar Lake [21, 22, 23].

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Avifaunal Composition of Municipal Areas of Ajmer District, Rajasthan, India

Introduction

Material and Methods

Profile of Study Area

Field Studies and Surveys

Data Collection and Analysis

Observation and Results

Observation and Results

Conclusion and Discussion

References

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