A study of seasonal abundance of aquatic birds including migratory birds with a special focus on population of Bar-headed geese at Magadi Kere, Shirahatti Taluk, Gadag district, Karnataka, India

Abstract

A study of the seasonal abundance of aquatic birds, including migratory birds, focuses on the population of Bar-headed geese coming from Siberia and Tibet to Magadi Kere, Shirahatti Taluk, Gadag District, and Karnataka was conducted over five years spanning from March 2015 to March 2020. A total number of 34 aquatic bird species were observed and recorded. At different time intervals, the abundance and frequency of visits of migvisitsy birds, especially of Bar-headed geese, were recorded and inferences were drawn. The Bar-headed geese followed a fixed migration pattern with the peak season starting from October-November, reaching the highest count in January-February and finally subsiding in March-April every year. The study also discerned that the feeding pattern of aquatic birds coincides with the local crops grown in the vicinity, which are at the harvesting stage during the peak season of migration.