Dr Adesh Kumar

• Doctor of Philosophy
• Assistant Professor at JECRC University

This book is dedicated to the revered Egyptian Vulture who was in captivity at Lucknow Zoo (Nawab Wajid Ali Shah Zoological Garden). While conducting behavioral observations in captivity, we developed a strong connection with “Peelu” (the nickname we gave to the Egyptian Vulture). This connection developed gradually and feels like a soul connec...

The basic concern for species survival is the food availability; consequently, it is a fundamental component to identify the habitat preference, population density and endurance of the species. In the present study, our goals were to assess the foraging behaviour and other activity patterns of Egyptian Vulture. The focal animal sampling method desc...

About Cavity Nester Birds and their habitat ecology, Nesting parameters, Conservation and Management.

About the wildlife Folklore and traditional knowledge about the Wildlife and Biodiversity; their importance in conservation and management.

Over the past few decades, air pollution and climate change have become major global concerns. In light of this concern about Indian cities, where air pollution and climate change have a significant health impact, this review was conducted. Human health is at risk from the expanding urban areas that experience extreme climate events like high rainf...

Around 97% of the water on earth is in oceans, 2% in glaciers and ice sheaths, 0.009% in lakes and ponds and 0.00009% in rivers and the deposit as groundwater. In the present scenario, wetlands have become an epicenter of focus from diverse perception. Wetlands, Ponds, Lakes and reservoirs around the world are critical components of the ecological...

Ecotourism is defined as management of tourism and conservation of nature in a way so as to maintain a fine balance between the necessities of tourism and needs of the local communities for jobs, new skills, income generating employment and a better prestige for women. Entomotourism has emerged as a growing mainstream attraction for many tourists a...

Data overload has made many biological problems computational problems. Bioinformatics, which uses computer methods to analyse biomolecule data on a massive scale, has become a major field in molecular biology, including structural biology, genomics, and gene expression research. Recent technological advances have advanced phenotypic genetics resea...

Insects are found everywhere in our nature, yet, their diversity, abundance, and characterization in various ecosystems are still not well defined, systematically. The present study was conducted to assess and compare the abundance, species richness, and diversity of insects amongst four different spots in Lucknow district, Uttar Pradesh, India. A...

This book is all about the trees 🌳 more than 100 years. Their traditional and Mythological values and Conservational Management.

Searching for food is an important concern of survival for every species on earth. Social interactions may provide information about the position of food. Some birds feed alone while others in group. Egyptian Vultures follow con specifics as well as other species to find the location of the food; hence there is high probability of social feeding. I...

Feeding Ecology

The Indian peacock or Blue peafowl (Pavo cristatus.), the largest of the pheasants commonly called Mor or Mayur, is a bird species recognized for its beauty. Pavo cristatus (Indian peafowl) has been justifiably declared as the National Bird of India in 1963. In India, it is given the ultimate protection by its inclusion in the Schedule I of Wildlif...

Vultures are excellent indicators of environmental health and as carrion feeders play an important ecological role. They are the only known vertebrate obligate scavengers. Nine different species of old world vultures are found in India. Red-headed Vulture (RHV) is one of the resident vulture species and is found throughout the country up to 2000 m...

Behavior of birds to settle or rest at a place at specific times of day and night is called as roosting. Some birds prefer solitary roosting while others roost communally. Present study confirmed that Egyptian vultures are communal roosters and number of roosting individuals most probably depended on the availability of food of the area. Egyptian v...

Lapwings are medium-sized wading birds with long legs, short, straight bill, fairly large head and rounded wings (Kazmierczak 2009) belonging to the family Charadriidae and order Charadriiformes. Out of the seven species of lapwings from the Indian subcontinent, three species, viz., River Lapwing Vanellus duvaucelii, Yellow-wattled Lapwing V. malab...

Vultures are necrophagous feeding on carrion and rotten meat of dead animals They are the nature's cleaners, plays significant role in ecosystem services in compare to other birds because they rapidly feed on the carcasses and help in nutrient cycling. They reduced the risk of contamination by disease producing pathogens such bacteria, virus And fu...

Indian Peafowl (Pavo cristatus) is a symbol of grace, joy, beauty and love is the national bird of India, is a designated repetitive of the Indian Fauna. It is given the utmost protection by its inclusion in the schedule I of wildlife protection act, 1972. Indian peafowl is largest among the Pheasants. It belongs to family Phasiandae and order Gall...

The Poster is on the title: Status of Indian Grey Hornbill Ocyceros birostris) in specific sites of Lucknow City. The poster tells about the status of Indian Grey Hornbill in specific sites of Lucknow City.

A one-month course, on Basic Ornithology and Bird Identification was developed and conducted by ENVIS-RP Institute of Wildlife Sciences, University of Lucknow. This programme was funded by MoEF&CC, New Delhi. The course was conducted from 5 February to 5 March at Institute for Wildlife Sciences, ONGC Centre for Advanced Studies University of Univer...

The theme for World Wetlands Day 2020 is “Wetlands and Biodiversity”. It was celebrated by the ENVIS – RP, Institute of Wildlife Sciences, ONGC for Advanced studies, University of Lucknow in collaboration with the U.P. State Biodiversity Board, Lucknow and Biodiversity and Wildlife Conservation Lab, Department of Zoology, University of Lucknow. The...

Sodic soil contain a large amount of exchangeable sodium and low level of soluble salts which reflects adverse effects on crop yield and hence obviously faunal diversity are enveloped with emptiness. The baseline data for zero year is prepared for districts Lucknow, Farrukhabad, Kanpur Dehat, Kannauj and Ghazipur and were compared with data collect...

Soil having Electrical conductivity (EC) lesser than 4dSm-1 , Exchangeable Sodium Percentage (ESP) greater than 15 and pH usually between 8.5 and 10.0 was defined as sodic or alkaline soils. Excess exchangeable sodium, high pH, lack of calcium and the resulting poor physical properties are the main causes for poor productivity of alkali soils. Thes...

Egyptian Vultures are the most commonly seen vultures in Uttar Pradesh at present after the 'vultures hurtle in India. Food availability is the basic concern for animal survival; consequently, it is a fundamental component to identify the habitat exploitation, population compactness and endurance of the animal. The study started in Uttar Pradesh fr...

Hornbills are noticeable and familiar birds through nine species occurring in India. Indian Grey Hornbill is a fairly common, mostly arboreal found throughout India. Out of nine species Indian grey hornbill have been studied extensively in some parts of India. Indian grey hornbill (Ocyceros birostris) prefers dry deciduous forests, but these habita...

To observe the day, we organized a one-day workshop on Wetlands and Climate Change on 31st January, 2019 at the University of Lucknow. On that occasion Prof. Amita Kanaujia (Department of Zoology) delivered a lecture on “What are Wetlands, Wetland Ecosystem”, Dr. Shailendra Singh (Director T.S.A.) delivered a lecture on “Reptiles of Wetland”, Shri....

The Indian Sarus Crane (Grus antigone antigone), is the world's tallest flying bird and a globally 'Vulnerable' species as per IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is the only resident breeding crane in India. Citizen scientists currently play active roles in a varied range of ecological assignments, and their contributions have enabled scientis...

The Globally Endangered Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus congregates in the areas which are away from human disturbances, where food availability is high and roosting substrates are present. There are three subspecies of Egyptian Vultures in the world. Out of three subspecies two subspecies are present in India. Present study discusses the po...

This paper intended to establish a list of owls found among a dense human population of Lucknow district with a population density of 1816 persons per square Km. The study was carried out for a year from 2016-17. Spots were located by secondary survey from the general public, usually residents of the areas concerned. Owl habitats have been surveyed...

University of Lucknow in collaboration with Uttar Pradesh State Biodiversity Board, in order to inculcate the importance of wildlife conservation among them, organized several awareness programmes viz., poster making, rangoli, debate, and quiz programmes for various age groups at the Regional Science City. The Vice Chancellor of Lucknow University...

Man-Animal Conflict refers to the interaction between wild animals and people and the resultant negative impact on people or their resources or wild animals or their habitat. The conflict takes many forms ranging from loss of life or injury to humans and animals both wild and domesticated, to competition for scarce resources to loss and degradation...

Vultures have animportant role in their habitats because they feed primarily on carrion, or the flesh of dead animals. Vultures provide a much needed service in food chains. Carrion eaters and scavengers are essential for disposing of dead bodies. They are particularly good scavengers as they can fly and cover a greater distance than scavengers tha...

Egyptian Vultures maintain their territories and generally built several nests during their breeding season. They select a breeding place in cliff sites of smaller size, on sheltered or camouflaged narrow ledges or equivalent caves, tall trees, ancient monuments and on old and historical temples where two eggs are laid early in the spring and where...

Birds of Prey Programme, South Africa and Hawk Conservancy Trust, England run the International Vulture Awareness Day. It is celebrated each year on the first Saturday of September and dedicated to vulture conservation. Biodiversity and Wildlife Conservation Lab, Department of Zoology and Institute for Wildlife Sciences, ONGC, Centre for Advanced S...

Asian Vultures are endangered birds included in Schedule 1 of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. There are 9 species of vultures found in India, out of which 8 species (Long-billed Vulture, Cinereous Vulture, Egyptian Vulture, Eurasian Griffon, Himalayan Griffon, Slender-billed Vulture, White-rumped Vulture and Red-headed Vulture) are reported from Utt...

The main objective of the workshop was to create awareness among people, students as well as teachers regarding snakes, there identification and rescue. In rainy season chances of snake encounter is maximum. Establishing a network of responsible snake friends in each region will help us to rescue them when encountered. About 60 participants from di...

The socio-ecological organizations of birds are complex, controlled by many factors, and organized in relation to the ecological factors especially plant species diversity, food dispersion and predator diversity and density. These ecological aspects influence the group size and composition of birds' species. The aim of the present study was to find...

Birds are the most popular and interesting group on the globe and their diversity leads to a richness of life and beauty. Birds have always fascinated mankind with their naturally attractive plumage, harmonious songs and creative behavior. The population of birds in an ecosystem displays the environmental quality of an area, its pollution level, sa...

Wetlands are important bird habitats that provide important livelihood to the local inhabitants. Wetlands occupy a unique position by being one of the most productive and biologically rich ecosystems and yet being one of the most endangered. The wetlands provide ecological and livelihood services. The present study is aimed the distribution, the as...

The wetlands considered as the natural water storage body as well as water reservoir on the earth and they also act as a transition zone between permanently flooded and the strictly terrestrial areas is the presence of hydromorphic soils and hydrophytic vegetation. The depth of a wetland is two meters which does not exceed six metres. They retain w...

There are 9 species of vultures (Red-headed Vulture, Long-billed Vulture, Cinereous Vulture, Egyptian Vulture, Eurasian Griffon, Himalayan Griffon, Slender-billed Vulture, White-rumped Vulture, and Bearded Vulture) found in India. All are included in Schedule 1 of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Red-headed Vulture (RHV) is a critically endangered an...

The nest and nest site characteristic is energy costing process. Nesting is the most significant stage of breeding in birds. It is directly related to reproductive success. The study was carried out in University of Lucknow was made during May 2017 to December 2017. The premises of Lucknow University are very rich in bushy plants like Ficus benjami...

The rank of classification that is lower than a species is known as Subspecies. Related subspecies are less distinct than species of the same genus. There are three subspecies of Egyptian vulture in the world, of which two subspecies are found in India; Neophron percnopterus percnopterus and Neophron percnopterus ginginianus.Since not much work has...

Indian subcontinent is rich in bird diversity and dwells more than 1200 species of avian fauna in various habitations (Ali and Ripley, 1983). Birds play key roles in pollination and indicator of a healthy ecosystem. Survey of avian fauna has been carried out in Shahid Chandra Shekhar Azad Bird Sanctuary (SCSABS) of Unnao, Uttar Pradesh from Decembe...

The aim was to spread the message of biodiversity conservation and its importance amongst school students and common people thereby sensitize them towards biodiversity conservation. Celebration of the International Dayfor Biological Diversity under the theme, therefore provides an opportunity to raise awareness and action towards the safeguarding l...

Save the Frogs Day was first time Celebrated in 2009, since then it is celebrated every year on the last Saturday of April. It is devoted to protecting the world’s amphibian species: the frogs, toads, newts, salamanders, and caecilians through environmental education, scientific research, and legal defence.

One of the fascinating aspects of the life of birds is their breeding phase, which is ultimately tied to the distribution and abundance of food resources in their environment. Breeding is one of the major components, which determine the specific contribution to its gene pool. Breeding is not only determined by gonadal activity but also by the avail...

In 2018, with the collaboration of Uttar Pradesh State Biodiversity Board and Regional ScienceCity, Aliganj, Centre for Biodiversity and WildlifeResearch and Conservation, Lucknow we celebrated Sparrow Week from 18 to 20 March 2018.

This is an abstract, which is published in the abstract book of National Conference on The Impact of Environmental Xenobiotics on Human Health & Biodiversity on 31 March 2018.

The Poster is on the title: Status of Indian Grey Hornbill Ocyceros birostris) in University of Lucknow, Lucknow. The poster tells about the status of Indian Grey Hornbill in 4 selected sites of University of Lucknow, Lucknow.

The Abstract is on the Status of Indian Grey Hornbill Ocyceros birostris) in University of Lucknow

India had millions of vultures in mid-1980s but sweeping population drops between 1996 and 2007 saw 99% of these vulture populations vanish. Because of such extensive and speedy population declines, all three vulture species were listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN in 2000. The study on the status of vultures in Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (BRT)...

A 'wildlife corridor' is a region in the environment that functions as a passageway for the persistence of providing connectivity between wild species by means of dispersal and migration of individuals. Wildlife corridors, used by various species to migrate, breed and feed, are increasingly becoming relevant as essential tools for wildlife conserva...

Hands-on Training for the cause of Wildlife Conservation

ORNITHOLOGY Abstract Vultures are supplementary endothermic in nature, and they warm themselves to maintain their body temperature by absorbing solar radiation. Sun Bathing is an important thermoregulatory behavior in Vultures. They take sunbath on monuments, trees, and cliffs by stretching wings and with their backs to the sun. This observational...

Asian vultures are endangered birds included in Schedule

ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Obligate scavenging is very rare in the animal kingdom, due to lack of enough carrion and energy. Vultures are the only vertebrates that are obligate scavengers, as being a terrestrial flyers they can find carrion more easily. Vultures as ascavenger had evolved physiological mechanism that allows them to depress their high met...

Community-based conservation (CBC) encompasses several core principles, including: involving communities in decision-making; devolving control over resource management; developing community institutions for management; incorporating traditional or local knowledge; legitimizing community property rights; linking environment and development objective...

In present study, nest site selection of Sarus Cranes Grus Antigone was studied in Lucknow district from May 2014 to June 2016. According to study results, Sarus cranes preferred ponds and lakes and avoided agricultural swampy areas. Factors associated with the selection of nest sites included water body size, distance to water, water depth and the...

Herpetofauna (Amphibians and Reptiles) also play a crucial role in ecosystem function. They are important predators of many insects and agricultural pests and are therefore, valuable for natural biological pest control. Herpetofauna are poikilothermic (cold blooded) vertebrates with smooth skin. The study was carried out during March 2011 through M...

FIELD REPORT OF WETLANDS DAY

Spiders are eight legged arthropods belonging to the order Araneae of the class Arachnida and Phylum Arthropoda. The present study was carried out to investigate the diversity of spiders in Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary which is a large wetland located in Unnao district, Uttar Pradesh, India, covering an area of about 224.60 hectares. The study was cond...

Breeding habitat plays a vital role for the survival of individual bird. Gyps vulture breeds in colony. They are slow breeding birds; they mature at the age of five years and lay maximum one egg per year. The aim of this study was to locate the promising breeding sites of Gyps species of vultures in some of the areas of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pra...

Vultures are the keystone species and very important scavengers responsible for the maintenance of balance of ecosystem. Diclofenac is the main reason of mass decline in the population of vultures in India but there are other factors too that are adversely affecting the vultures, like the shortage of food after the change in lifestyle of people, th...

Searching for nest material and to prepare a home for the young one is a natural instinct and an important task in the life cycle of every animal taxon like birds, fish, mice, squirrels etc. They use specific materials depending upon their mechanical and structural properties and are highly selective and with a strong sense of innate tendency to us...

Spiders belong to order Araneae of Class Arachnida and phylum Arthropoda. The present study was carried out to investigate the diversity of spiders in Kukrail Reserve Forest, located in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. Kukrail Reserve is a subtropical dry deciduous forest, covering an area of 5,000 hectare, located on the coordinates N-26 0 54' 399',...

Spiders are eight legged arthropods belonging to the order Araneae of the class Arachnida and Phylum Arthropoda. The present study was carried out to investigate the diversity of spiders in Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary which is a large wetland located in Unnao district, Uttar Pradesh, India, covering an area of about 224.60 hectares. The study was cond...

Asian open bill stork is a colonial wetland local migratory bird having I.U.C.N Status of Least Concern belonging to family Ciconiidae. The name of this predominantly grayish white with glossy black wings and tail bird is derived from the distinctive gap formed between the lower and upper mandible of the beak in adult birds, which is used as nut cr...

The Painted stork is a large wading bird in the family Ciconiidae and is listed as Near Threatened. A study was carried out in Lucknow District, Uttar Pradesh, India from July 2013-March 2014. Painted storks show only seasonal short distance movements in search of food and breeding grounds. They are the local migratory bird. Selection of the nest s...