Status and Diversity of birds in and around Banihal, Ramban, Jammu and Kashmir

Abstract

Birds constitute an important component of nature playing crucial roles in different ecosystems. Avifaunal inventories are valuable in species conservation and devising habitat specific conservation and management plans. We carried out organized surveys in and around Banihal, a sub-urban township in District Ramban in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir to understand the avifaunal diversity, composition and their abundance. The surveys were carried from June 2021 to July 2022. A total of 66 species belonging to 11 orders and 32 families were observed during the study period. Muscicapidae was found to be the dominant family with 10 species and insectivorous being the major trophic guild having 33 species. Based on the observations, 25 species were found migratory in the study area and two species were globally threatened. This baseline study will be useful in devising management strategies for species conservation in the region.