Areas of avian richness across an urban-rural setting: A case study of selected water bodies from Pune, Maharashtra, India

Abstract

Species diversity and distribution vary across space, and time, and are influenced by habitat quality. Therefore, to conserve species, it becomes imperative to document them, and the possible threats to the habitats they frequent. Wetland birds can be considered as a good model system as indicator taxa for habitat disturbance studies, as they are more sensitive to landscape modifications and habitat disturbance than most terrestrial birds. To find species-rich wetlands within Pune, India, we compared three sites situated across an urban–rural setting, based on bird species assemblages. Bird species were recorded during 2009-2013, and secondary data was mined from various virtual participatory online fora. A total of 177 species were recorded, 73 were wetland-associated and included four that are globally threatened. Cluster analysis on the localities, based on species-assemblages, revealed two major clusters, Pashan Lake and Khadakwasla, and Kawadi, with a cophenetic correlation coefficient of 0.89. The wetland-species exclusivity and habitat threats were found highest for Kawadi, emphasizing the need of conservation efforts at the site. Our work updates species occurrence data for these three sites, discusses threats to the bird species, and provides a baseline for conservation action.

Full text

Areas of avian richness across an urban-rural setting:
A case study of selected water-bodies from Pune,
Maharashtra, India
Pankaj Koparde & Ninad Raote
Koparde, P., & Raote, N., 2016. Areas of avian richness across an urban -rural setting: A case study of selected water-bodies from Pune, Maharashtra, India.
Indian BIRDS 12 (2&3): 50–55.
Pankaj Koparde, 07, Radhika Apartment, Anandnagar, Sinhgad Road, Pune 411051, Pune District, Maharashtra, India. E-mail: pankajkoparde@gmail.com
[Corresponding author].
Ninad Raote, Vrindawan Bungalow, Plot No. 35, Sudarshan Nagar, Chinchwad 411033, Pune District, Maharashtra, India.
Manuscript received on 26 August 2013.
Abstract
Species diversity and distribution vary across space, and time, and are influenced by habitat quality. Therefore, to conserve species, it becomes imperative
to document them, and the possible threats to the habitats they frequent. Wetland birds can be considered as a good model system as indicator taxa
for habitat disturbance studies, as they are more sensitive to landscape modifications and habitat disturbance than most terrestrial birds. To find species-
rich wetlands within Pune, India, we compared three sites situated across an urban–rural setting, based on bird species assemblages. Bird species were
recorded during 2009-2013, and secondary data was mined from various virtual participatory online fora. A total of 177 species were recorded, 73 were
wetland-associated and included four that are globally threatened. Cluster analysis on the localities, based on species-assemblages, revealed two major
clusters, Pashan Lake and Khadakwasla, and Kawadi, with a cophenetic correlation coefficient of 0.89. The wetland-species exclusivity and habitat threats
were found highest for Kawadi, emphasizing the need of conservation efforts at the site. Our work updates species occurrence data for these three sites,
discusses threats to the bird species, and provides a baseline for conservation action.
Introduction
Urbanization leads to land-use change. This affects bird
species assemblages (McKinney 2008). Habitat sensitive taxa,
and habitat specialists are likely to be affected by a change in
land-use. A study by Blair (1996), on avifauna along an urban
gradient, showed that native species dominate in forested
areas, whereas invasive, and exotic species dominate the
human-modified landscape. Sandstrom et al. (2006) observed
that urban green space might influence species richness. The
causal relationship of urbanization also applies to wetland birds.
Whited et al. (2000) revealed that urban regions showed low
species richness but species composition did not correspond to
landscape variables. Species composition, and species richness
are liable to change with respect to multiple environmental, and
habitat variables. Indian inland freshwater wetlands are highly
dependent on the monsoon; however many urban wetlands
also receive a substantial amount of untreated and/or partly
treated wastewater (Bassi et al. 2014). Despite most of the
urban wetlands being highly polluted, they support numerous
wetland bird species. Wetland connectivity, within a landscape,
may allow local movements of species for foraging, and breeding
(Amezaga et al. 2002), resulting in a virtual increase in the
number of species. Therefore, long-term studies on wetland
birds and their habitat covariates are necessary to enable
the evaluation of wetlands with high species richness. Many
migratory species from northern Asia spend the northern winter
in India (Ali & Ripley 1987; Berthold 2001). Most of the wetland
bird censuses conducted in India, such as the Asian Waterbird
Census, and heronry census (Urfi et al. 2005), are focused on
the resident, winter migratory diurnal birds, or a specific group of
birds, underestimating nocturnal wetland-associated birds such
as night herons (Nycticorax), bitterns (Ixobrychus), and fish owls
(Ketupa). To compensate for such missing data, online fora such
as well curated social media groups on wildlife, and portals such
as the India Biodiversity Portal (IBP 2015), iNaturalist (iNaturalist
2015), and eBird (eBird 2015), data of which are in the public
domain, and are cross-validated by users are emerging as a
reliable secondary data source. Such data sources often contain
species of rare occurrences. These sources can also be used for
adding and/or updating knowledge on regional avifauna.
We present results of a multi-year (2009–2013) study
in-and-around Pune, India, where we compare bird species
assemblages and attributes of habitat disturbance at three sites
situated across an urban–rural setting. This paper also discusses
local threats to wetland birds.
Materials & methods
Study area
Pune is situated on the eastern edge of the northern Western
Ghats in Maharashtra. Three wetlands, namely, Khadakwasla
Reservoir, Kawadi, and Pashan Lake, situated in and around the
city (Fig. 1), were selected for the study. These wetlands also set
up a system of wetlands over an urbanization as well as pollution
gradient. Khadakwasla Dam, built across the Mula River, is located
c. 15 km south of Pune city. A large part of the reservoir has a
water depth of more than five meters. The reservoir is surrounded
by agriculture, scrubland, and human-modified landscape; birds
use its shallow margins. It falls in a rural area, and is the least
polluted of the three wetlands.
Pashan Lake is a small reservoir located along the Ram River
in the Pashan suburb of Pune. It is surrounded by scrubland, and
a human-dominated landscape. The Ram River flows into the
50 Indian BIRDS Vol. 12 No. 2 & 3 (Publ . 12 october 2016)
Author Copy

Mutha River, which converges with the Mula River in Pune, after
passing through a variety of land-uses. The lake lies in a highly
urbanised area, and is moderately polluted. Kawadi is situated
c. 25 km east of Pune, on the Pune–Solapur highway, amidst
agriculture (especially sugarcane and other cash crop plants),
and scrubland, and is formed by a small bund (approximately
100 m in length) across the Mula-Mutha River, which has created
a small shallow reservoir. It is in a sparsely urbanised area, and
is heavily polluted with industrial effluents, and domestic sewage
waste carried by the Mula–Mutha River.
Data collection
We used the point count method for sampling bird diversity
(Magurran 2004). Each point count sample covered an area of
50 m diameter, and lasted 20 min. Point counts were carried
out from 0700 to 1000 hrs. Each locality was sampled at two
different points on each visit. All the localities were visited at least
twice during the northern winter season (November–February)
during 2009–2013. A species was marked present if it was
sighted at least twice in different samples. Birds were identified
using field guides (Grimmett et al. 2011; Rasmussen & Anderton
2012). Birds flying overhead were noted down separately.
Species other than wetland birds were recorded opportunistically
in and around point count stations. Secondary data was collected
from multiple online data sources including the Facebook pages
of Birds of Pune (FBBP 2013), Birds of Maharashtra (FBBM
2013), India Nature Watch (2013), Flickr (2013), Orkut Pune
Birders (Orkut PB 2013), and Tigerland (2013). The IUCN Red
List of Threatened Species (IUCN 2015) was used to assign
threat status to the species. Disturbance factors to the habitat,
and to birds, were measured semi-quantitatively on each site
visit using an ordinal scale of 0–10, ten being the highest rank
for the category, when attributes such as solid waste disposal,
growth of Echhornia species, water turbidity, and numbers of
photographers were recorded. The modal value of the habitat,
and bird disturbance factors, were summarized across samples.
The presence of solid waste, in a
water body, was measured by observing
the number of rubbish piles, garbage
bags, floating polystyrene, and other
solid waste material. The growth of
Echhornia species was measured by
gauging the approximate area of the
water body the plant covered. Water
turbidity was measured visually. Water
was collected in a clear glass flask and
allowed to stand for five minutes to allow
the debris to settle. Water turbidity was
then scored on an ordinal scale of 0–10.
The number of bird photographers was
recorded at each locality. The modal
value of photographers across samples
was used as a measure of disturbance
to birds. Apart from photographers,
cattle-grazing was an anthropogenic
disturbance. Cattle-grazing was
occasional and localised only in certain
part of the wetland; therefore we did not
consider it as a disturbance factor.
Data Analysis
We drew species saturation curves for each site to judge if our
sampling efforts for species richness were adequate (Magurran
2004). We repeated the sampling till the species saturation
curve reached an asymptote. We used PAST v2.17b (Hammer
et al. 2001) for cluster analysis. We used a Bray-Curtis distance
algorithm to construct a dendrogram based on species
composition. Depending on the presence of the species in all
the localities, we categorized the species into three groups:
widespread (present at all the localities), less widespread
(present at any two localities), and localised (present at a single
locality).
Results
1. Species richness and distribution based on point
count data
A total of 177 bird species were recorded during the study
belonging to 64 families and 133 genera. Of these, 73 species
were wetland associated. 69 species were recorded during point
counts, all of which were wetland associated. These include four
threatened species: Common Pochard Aythya ferina (Vulnerable),
Painted Stork Mycteria leucocephala (Near–Threatened=NT),
Black-headed Ibis Threskiornis melanocephalus (NT), and
Oriental Darter Anhinga melanogaster (NT). Table 1 provides
a list of birds observed at the point count stations. The highest
number of species was recorded at Kawadi (59), followed by
Pashan Lake (50), and Khadakwasla (43). The maximum
number of localized species was found at Kawadi (14), followed
by Khadakwasla (2), and Pashan Lake (2) (Fig. 2).
2. Species records from secondary data
From various online sources, we retrieved 53 entries for birds from
the three localities. Among these, 48 records were from Kawadi,
while the remaining were from Pashan Lake. Only five records out
of 53 were not common to the primary data. Table 2 summarises
Fig . 1. Map of the stud y area of wetlands in and around P une. The map on the bottom right is supe rimposed on land-use map
in Bhuvan Portal (http://bhuvan.nrsc.gov.in) with Pune cit y limits outlined in black. The inset map on t he top left indicates Pune
distr ict. The thre e maps along the top ar e from Google Ear th and indicate the boundaries of the three wetland si tes, Pashan Lake,
Kawadi and Khadakwasla.
KoParde & r aote: Avian richness in Pune water-bodies 51
Author Copy

Table 1. Bird species recorded during point counts around Pune, 2009–2013.
No Common Name Scientific Name Kawadi Pashan Khadakwasla Occurrence
1 Lesser Whistling Duck Dendrocygna javanica — X L
2 Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea X X X W
3 Common Pochard* Aythya ferina — X X LW
4 Tufted Duck A. fuligula — X X LW
5 Garganey Anas querquedula X X X W
6 Northern Shoveler A. clypeata X X X W
7 Gadwall A. strepera X X X W
8 Eurasian Wigeon A. penelope — — X L
9 Indian Spot-billed Duck A. poecilorhyncha X X X W
10 Northern Pintail A. acuta X X — LW
11 Common Teal A. crecca X — X LW
12 Comb Duck Sarkidiornis melanotos — X X L
13 Cotton Teal Nettapus coromandelianus — — X L
14 Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis X X X W
15 Indian House Swift Apus affinis X — — L
16 Brown Crake Amaurornis akool X — — L
17 White-breasted Waterhen A. phoenicurus X X X W
18 Purple Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio X X X W
19 Common Coot Fulica atra X X X W
20 Painted Stork* Mycteria leucocephala X X — LW
21 Asian Openbill Anastomus oscitans X X LW
22 Woolly-necked Stork Ciconia episcopus X X X W
23 Cinnamon Bittern Ixobrychus cinnamomeus X X LW
24 Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax X X LW
25 Indian Pond Heron Ardeola grayii X X X W
26 Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis X X X W
27 Grey Heron Ardea cinerea X X X W
28 Purple Heron A. purpurea X X X W
29 Great Egret A. alba — X X LW
30 Intermediate Egret Mesophoyx intermedia X X X W
31 Little Egret Egretta garzetta X X X W
32 Black-headed Ibis* Threskiornis melanocephalus X X — LW
33 Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia X X X W
34 Indian Black Ibis Pseudibis papillosa X — X LW
35 Glossy ibis Plegadis falcinellus X X X W
36 Little Cormorant Phalacrocorax niger X X X W
37 Great Cormorant P. carbo X — — L
38 Indian Cormorant Phalacrocorax fuscicollis X X LW
39 Oriental Darter* Anhinga melanogaster — X X LW
40 Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus X X — LW
41 Common Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula X — — L
42 Little Ringed Plover C. dubius X — — L
43 Red-wattled Lapwing Vanellus indicus X X X W
44 Greater Painted-snipe Rostratula benghalensis — X X LW
45 Pheasant-tailed Jacana Hydrophasianus chirurgus X X X W
46 Bronze-winged Jacana Metopidius indicus — X — L
47 Ruff Philomachus pugnax X — — L
48 Temminck’s Stint Calidris temminckii X — — L
49 Little Stint C. minuta X — — L
50 Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago X X — LW
51 Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos X X X W
52 Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus X — — L
53 Wood Sandpiper T. glareola X X X W
54 Little Pratincole Glareola lactea X X — LW
55 Gull-billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica X — — L
56 River Tern Sterna aurantia X X X W
57 Western Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus X — X LW
58 Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis X X X W
59 Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis X X X W
60 White-throated Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis X X X W
61 Paddyfield Pipit Anthus rufulus X X X W
62 Western Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava X — — L
63 Grey Wagtail M. cinerea X X X W
64 Citrine Wagtail M. citreola X — — L
65 White-browed wagtail M. maderaspatensis X X X W
66 White Wagtail M. alba X — — L
67 Wire-tailed swallow Hirundo smithii X X X W
68 Barn Swallow H. rustica X X X W
69 Bank Myna Acridotheres ginginianus X — — L
Legend: LW: Low widespread; W: Widespread; L: Localised. * indicates threatened species listed by IUCN (2015).
The nomenclature follows Praveen et al. (2016).
the list of species recorded around
point count stations, including
data in the public domain. The
secondary data revealed the
presence of Common Shelduck
Tadorna tadorna at Kawadi, and
Pashan Lake (at least one male
individual from 2010–2012 each
year). Although our sampling
was carried out during the day,
two nocturnal species, namely,
Spotted Owlet Athene brama, and
Grey Nightjar Caprimulgus indicus
were observed around the point
count stations.
3. Cluster analysis
The cluster analysis revealed two
major clusters: one comprising
Pashan Lake, and Khadakwasla
in a single cluster, and the other
comprising Kawadi (Fig. 3). The
dendrogram, based on the species
composition data, was supported
with a cophenetic coefficient of
0.89.
KHDK
PL
0.96
0.93
0.90
0.87
0.84
0.81
0.78
0.75
0.72
KAWADI
Similarity
Fig. 2. Relationship among we tlands based on
shared species observed at thre e study sites,
Pune, 2009-2013.
Kawadi
(n=59)
Khadakwasla
(n=43)
Pashan Lake
(n=50)
310
32
6
Fig. 3. Cluster an alysis based on species
composition data using Br ay-Curtis distance
algorithm. PL: Pashan Lake; KHDK:
Khadakwasla reservoir; K AWADI: Kawadi.
4. Disturbance
The potential disturbance score
for Kawadi was the highest for
all the measured attributes, as
summarised in Table 3. On a
few occasions, dead fish, and
52 Indian BIRDS Vol. 12 No. 2 & 3 (Publ . 12 october 2016)
Author Copy

1 Common Shelduck# Tadorna tadorna X X
2 Indian Peafowl Pavo cristatus X — X
3 Jungle Bush Quail Perdicula asiatica X — —
4 Grey Francolin Francolinus
pondicerianus
— — X
5 Rock Pigeon Columba livia X X X
6 Yellow-legged Green
Pigeon
Treron phoenicopterus — — X
7 Eurasian Collared-Dove Streptopelia decaocto X — X
8 Laughing Dove S. senegalensis X X X
9 Oriental Turtle Dove S. orientalis — — X
10 Red Collared-Dove S. tranquebarica — — X
11 Spotted Dove S. chinensis X X X
12 Grey Nightjar Caprimulgus indicus X — —
13 Greater Coucal Centropus sinensis X X X
14 Pied Cuckoo Clamator jacobinus — — X
15 Asian Koel Eudynamys
scolopaceus
X X X
16 Grey-bellied Cuckoo Cacomantis
passerines
X — —
17 Common
Hawk-Cuckoo
Hierococcyx varius X X X
18 Indian Cuckoo Cuculus micropterus X — —
19 Common Redshank# Tringa totanus X — —
20 Indian Courser Cursorius
coromandelicus
X — —
21 Osprey# Pandion haliaetus X — —
22 Black-winged Kite Elanus caeruleus X — X
23 Oriental Honey
Buzzard
Pernis ptilorhynchus X X X
24 Crested Serpent Eagle Spilornis cheela — X
25 Changeable Hawk
Eagle
Nisaetus cirrhatus — X X
26 Bonelli's Eagle Aquila fasciatus — — X
27 Booted Eagle Hieraaetus pennatus — — X
28 Shikra Accipiter badius X X X
29 Eurasian
Sparrowhawk#
A. nisus X
30 Brahminy Kite Haliastur indus X X X
31 Black Kite Milvus migrans X X X
32 White-eyed Buzzard Butastur teesa — — X
33 Spotted Owlet Athene brama X — —
34 Indian Grey Hornbill Ocyceros birostris X X X
35 Common Hoopoe Upupa epops X — —
36 Brown-fronted
Woodpecker
Dendrocopos
auriceps
X — —
37 Coppersmith Barbet Psilopogon
haemacephala
X X X
38 Green Bee-eater Merops orientalis X X X
39 Indian Roller Coracias benghalensis X X X
Table 2. List of bird species observed around point count stations around Pune,
2009-2013 and from secondary data. #species recorded from secondary data.
No. Common Name Scientific Name Kawadi Pashan Khadakwasla
Table 2. List of bird species observed around point count stations around Pune,
2009-2013 and from secondary data. #species recorded from secondary data.
No. Common Name Scientific Name Kawadi Pashan Khadakwasla
40 Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus X X
41 Plum-headed
Parakeet
Psittacula
cyanocephala
X X
42 Rose-ringed Parakeet P. krameri X X X
43 Small Minivet Pericrocotus
cinnamomeus
X X X
44 Black-headed
Cuckooshrike
Coracina melanoptera — — X
45 Indian Golden Oriole Oriolus kundoo X X X
46 Common Woodshrike Tephrodornis
pondicerianus
— — X
47 Common Iora Aegithina tiphia X X X
48 Black Drongo Dicrurus macrocercus X X X
49 Ashy Drongo D. leucophaeus X X
50 White-throated Fantail Rhipidura albicollis X X X
51 Bay Backed Shrike Lanius vittatus X — —
52 Long-tailed Shrike L. schach X X X
53 House Crow Corvus splendens X X X
54 Large-billed Crow C. macrorhynchos X X X
55 India Paradise-
Flycatcher
Terpsiphone paradise X X —
56 Thick-billed
Flowerpecker
Dicaeum agile X X X
57 Pale-billed
Flowerpecker
D. erythrorhynchos X X X
58 Purple-rumped Sunbird Leptocoma zeylonica X X X
59 Purple Sunbird Cinnyiris asiaticus X X X
60 Golden-fronted
Leafbird
Chloropsis aurifrons X — —
61 Baya Weaver Ploceus philippinus X X —
62 Red Munia Amandava amandava X — —
63 Indian Silverbill Euodice malabarica X X X
64 Scaly-breasted Munia Lonchura punctulata X X X
65 Black-headed Munia L. malacca X — X
66 House Sparrow Passer domesticus X — X
67 Tree Pipit Anthus trivialis — — X
68 Blyth’s Pipit# A. godlewskii X —
69 Common Rosefinch Carpodacus
erythrinus
X — X
70 Grey-necked Bunting Emberiza buchanani X —
71 Cinereous Tit Parus cinereus X X X
72 Rufous-tailed Lark Ammomanes
phoenicura
X — —
73 Ashy-crowned
Sparrow Lark
Eremopterix griseus X — —
74 Jungle Prinia Prinia sylvatica X X X
75 Ashy Prinia P. socialis X X X
76 Plain Prinia P. inornata X X X
77 Common Tailorbird Orthotomus sutorius X X X
78 Sykes's Warbler Iduna rama X X
KoParde & r aote: Avian richness in Pune water-bodies 53
Author Copy

Table 3. Overview of sampling and habitat and bird disturbance attributes of three
sites, 2009-2013. Scores are out of ten.
Site WT SWD ESG PHO SPRICH VISITS
Kawadi 8 8 7 6 59 16
Pashan Lake 5 4 3 2 50 13
Khadakwasla 2 1 1 1 43 12
Legend: WT: Water turbidity; SWD: Solid waste disposal; ESG: Echhornia
spp. growth; PHO: Number of photographers; SPRICH: Bird species richness;
VISITS: Number of visits in 2009–2013.
Table 2. List of bird species observed around point count stations around Pune,
2009-2013 and from secondary data. #species recorded from secondary data.
No. Common Name Scientific Name Kawadi Pashan Khadakwasla
checkered keelback Xenochrophis piscator were observed in the
water. The main attributes for potential disturbances at Pashan
Lake were solid waste disposal, the grazing of livestock, and the
washing of cars. Human interference at the site is intensive, but
a small island in the lake is used as a safe roost site by several
species, including three Near-threatened species. At Khadakwasla,
the main attributes for potential disturbances were unregulated
tourism, including swimming in the lake, and the large numbers
of tourists attracted to eateries temporarily erected on the shores
of the backwaters, especially during the monsoon season. During
our surveys, we found that wetland species tend to aggregate in
areas with low human-mediated disturbance, and low human
activity such as bird photography.
Discussion
We found that Kawadi (a sparsely urbanised locality, but heavily
polluted), which offers both, open lotic, and open lentic systems,
had the highest species richness, whereas Khadakwasla (a rural
locality, but less polluted) had the lowest. Although we classified
the sites based on their locations with respect to the city limits
and land-use patterns around them; our results suggest that
the bird species richness at a locality could be a function of
various factors that could not be easily summarized in our broad
categories. Other factors that influence species richness could be
the geographical location of these sites, with respect to the city,
other nearby wetlands and other habitats, food abundance, and
availability, etc.
Despite the fact that the Mula-Mutha River at Kawadi is
highly polluted by human and industrial waste, as was observed
during the study, we recorded high species richness, as well
as the highest number of localised species in this locality. The
wetland at Kawadi is surrounded by scrubland and agricultural
fields (Fig. 1), especially of sugarcane, and other cash crop
plants. It is suspected that pesticides and chemical fertilizers
from surrounding farmlands drain into the Mula-Mutha River,
polluting it, as apparent from the dead fishes and snakes seen
in it. The high growth of Echhornia, and the disposal of solid
waste into the water appear to contribute to its stagnation. The
high species richness may reflect the variety of microhabitats
such as marshland, pond, river, scrubland, and farmland adjacent
to the river, all offering diverse feeding options for different
wetland bird species. The water depth at Kawadi is generally
shallow, and hence may offer the right foraging options for
waterfowl, herons, egrets, and waders. Additionally, downstream
of Kawadi, the Mula-Mutha River offers multiple sites for foraging,
nesting, and roosting. In addition, further eastwards, the Mula-
Mutha River joins the Bheema River (close to Bhigwan), which
is another migratory bird hotspot (Bharucha & Gogate 1990;
Ebird 2015). These may be the reasons that multiple wetland
bird species were found to aggregate in this area despite the
river being heavily polluted. On-site disturbance to the birds at
Kawadi is negligible, as compared to the other two sites, except,
possibly from bird photographers who may disturb flocks of birds.
However, based on our observations it is difficult to understand
the impact of photographers on the species composition. From
secondary data, obtained from bird photographers, we recorded
that Common Shelduck was sighted at Kawadi and Pashan Lake.
The known southern limit of the species in India is from the north
(Rasmussen and Anderton 2012, ebird 2015), and northwest
(Grimmett et al. 2011, ebird 2015) of Maharashtra during the
northern winter.
Although polluted by human and industrial waste, as apparent
from our observations of mixing of sewage water with the lake
water during the study period, and situated amidst human
habitation, Pashan Lake, which is a highly urbanised locality,
79 Blyth's Reed Warbler Acrocephalus
dumetorum
X X X
80 Paddyfield Warbler A. Agricola X
81 Clamorous Reed
Warbler
A. stentoreus X X X
82 Red-rumped Swallow Cecropis daurica X X X
83 Red-whiskered Bulbul Pycnonotus jocosus X X X
84 Red-vented Bulbul P. cafer X X X
85 Common Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita X X
86 Greenish Warbler Seicercus trochiloides X X
87 Oriental White Eye Zosterops palpebrosus X X X
88 Lesser Whitethroat Curruca curruca X X
89 Yellow-eyed Babbler Chrysomma sinense X X X
90 Indian Scimitar Babbler Pomatorhinus
horsfieldii
X
91 Tawny-bellied Babbler Dumetia hyperythra X
92 Puff-throated Babbler Pellorneum ruficeps X
93 Large Grey Babbler Argya malcolmi X X
94 Common Babbler A. caudata X
95 Jungle Babbler Turdoides striata X
96 Brahminy Starling Sturnia pagodarum X X X
97 Common Myna Acridotheres tristis X X X
98 Jungle Myna A. fuscus X X X
99 Indian Robin Saxicoloides fulicatus X X X
100 Oriental Magpie-Robin Copsychus saularis X X X
101 Tickell's Blue Flycatcher Cyornis tickelliae X X X
102 Bluethroat Luscinia svecica X
103 Red-breasted
Flycatcher
Ficedula parva X X
104 Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros X
105 Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarius X X
106 Siberian Stonechat Saxicola maurus X X X
107 Pied Bushchat S. caprata X X X
108 Orange-headed Thrush Zoothera citrina X
The nomenclature follows Praveen et al. (2016).
54 Indian BIRDS Vol. 12 No. 2 & 3 (Publ . 12 october 2016)
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retains relatively cleaner water, with a low amount of solid waste,
as compared to Kawadi (Table 3). Our observations of species
richness and the condition of the lake match that of Parchizadeh
(2014); who reported fluctuations in species richness during two
years of observations (2010–2012).
Khadakwasla Reservoir is spread across a larger area than
the other two sites. It was lowest on the disturbance attributes
as well as the species richness (Table 3). Due to its large spread,
our sampling may not have adequately recorded its species
richness in its entirety, but only that of the point count stations.
We observed that the habitat of Khadakwasla is under the
threat of unregulated tourism such as picnics, and temporary
establishments such as eateries around the reservoir, especially
during the monsoon season.
The data that we collected was categorical and hence may
not provide insights on the effect of habitat disturbance on
species assemblage. Future studies focusing on the collection
of continuous data over a span of few years will be necessary
to understand if, and how, various disturbance attributes drive
species assemblages. Having said this, our data shows mixed
results when compared to Whited et al. (2000) who have shown
that species richness is low in urban areas in a temperate region.
A future study that includes habitat, as well as landscape variables
will be useful in testing the hypothesis that wetland bird species
richness decreases towards more urbanization.
From our observations, we found that species used to
aggregate in areas of low disturbance, and possibly away from
where humans could reach. Although Kawadi currently supports
the highest species richness amongst the studied sites, given
the current situation of habitat disturbance it may deteriorate
in future. Human access to Pashan Lake needs to be regulated
so as to minimise habitat disturbance. Owing to its large area,
Khadakwasla Reservoir did not show immediate threats to the
avifauna, except through unregulated tourism. The peak tourism
season is in the monsoon hence, may not affect winter migratory
birds but resident birds. However, this is a speculation based
on our observations of how wetland bird species tend to avoid
high human activity areas. There could be a potential threat
from on-going construction on various private properties around
Khadakwasla Reservoir, but this has to be validated with further
studies.
The change of land-use into urban space in-and-around Pune
city is increasing (Nalavade 2000) and has the potential to lead to
further deterioration in the quality of wetland habitats within the
city limits (Nalavade et al. 2000; Patwardhan et al. 2003). Though
the current study fails to connect the effect of habitat disturbance
to species richness, and assemblage, it provides baseline data for
future studies. It also highlights the importance of records in the
social media, and in the public domain. Our study highlights the
need for immediate conservation action at Kawadi.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank Purushottam Patil, and Rhucha Vatturkar for their help with the
fieldwork. We are also thankful to the Birds of Pune groups on Orkut, and Facebook
for assimilating important usable observations from the public domain, on the
avifauna of Pune city.
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