Avian Faunal Diversity of Taradevi Area of Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India
Harinder Singh Banyal *
Department of Biosciences, Himachal Pradesh University, Summer Hill, Shimla (H.P.)-171005, India.
Shivali Sharma
Department of Biosciences, Himachal Pradesh University, Summer Hill, Shimla (H.P.)-171005, India.
Navneet Kaur
Department of Biosciences, Himachal Pradesh University, Summer Hill, Shimla (H.P.)-171005, India.
Jyoti Thakur
Department of Biosciences, Himachal Pradesh University, Summer Hill, Shimla (H.P.)-171005, India.
Rajender Pal
Department of Biosciences, Himachal Pradesh University, Summer Hill, Shimla (H.P.)-171005, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The present study deals with the exploration of avifauna in the Tara Devi region of Shimla, Himachal Pradesh. The observation revealed the presence of 43 species of birds belonging to 6 orders and 29 families. Family Corvidae exhibited the highest number of recorded species, and the most dominating order was Passeriformes. According to IUCN, Alexandrine Parakeet (Psittacula eupatria) was in Near-threatened (NT) category whereas Milvus migrans and Psittacula eupatria fall under Schedule-Ⅰ of IWPA status and rest of the bird species fall under Schedule-Ⅳ. This region boasts high productivity and provides good habitat to many avian species, anthropogenic activities such as construction of roads and adjacent developments occasionally pose challenges. It is imperative to halt such disruptions by rigorously implementing environmental regulations and policies.
Keywords: Avian fauna, Tara Devi, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh