International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR) ISSN (Online): 2319-7064 Index Copernicus Value (2015): 78.96 | Impact Factor (2015): 6.391 Volume 6 Issue 6, June 2017 www.ijsr.net Licensed Under Creative Commons Attribution CC BY Avifaunal Diversity and Abundance of Jalikhara and Etila Beel (wetland) of Kamrup (metro) District, Assam, India Trishna Medhi 1 , Suraj Sharma 2 1 Department of Eco-Restoration, Dimoria College, Khetri (under Life Science Department, Dibrugarh University, Dibrugarh, Assam, India) 2 Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Assam Univerty, Silchar, India Abstract: Avifaunal diversity is very common in wetland ecosystem. Wetlands like river, beels, marshes provide a significant habitat for incalculable species of birds. The purpose of this study was to find out the diversity and abundance of avifauna in two selected wetlands of Dimoria region namely Jalikhara and Etila. The study was conducted between March 2016 to April 2017. The line transect method was used to collect data on bird diversity and abundance. And to determine the species diversity Shannon-Weiner diversity index (H ꞌ ) was used. A total of 45 bird species belonging to 23 families were recorded. Both the Jalikhara and Etila beel are rich in avifaunal diversity. But the diversity of Etila is found to be comparatively lower (3.17) than the Jalikhara (3.68). And the family Ardeidae is found abundantly in Jalikhara beel while Sturnidae is the most abundant family in Etila beel. The main reason behind it is the avoidance of Etila beel by water birds is due to high effluent discharge by Hindustan Paper Corporation (Nogoan Paper Mill). Keywords: Abundance, Avifauna, Diversity, Line-transect, Shannon-weiner index, Wetland 1. Introduction A wetland is an any kind of land area that is submerged by water. Systematic study of wetlands started just after the International Convention for Wetlands held in Ramsar or Iran in 1971 which is known as Ramsar Convention. In India, diverse wetlands are seen and some of them are unique. They occupy 1-5 percent of the total geographical area of the country [1] . Under the Ramsar international wetland conservation treaty, wetlands are defined as areas of marsh, fen, peat land or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed 6 meters (Article 1.1) [2] . The North-East region of India is blessed and glorified with excessive and varied types of water resources in the form of rivers (19,150 km), reservoirs (23,792 ha); beels, lakes and swamps(143,740 ha);ponds and mini barrage (40,808 ha) and low laying paddy cum fish culture systems (2,780 ha) [3] . Ecologically wetlands are of great significance for an area as they perform a number of vital functions in maintaining the overall balancing of nature, flood and soil erosion control, water storage and purification etc. [4] . Wetland supports congregation of large number of migratory and resident species of birds as it has high nutritional value as well as productivity [5] . As per Ali and Repley (1983), 273 species of birds in India can be considered as water-fowls, the birds that depend on wetland ecosystem. The bird assemblages are affected by various factors like the food availability, the size of the wetland [5] . Wetlands are favored habitats for diverse, abundant and large invertebrates, seeds, tubers and vertebrates which are important foods of birds [7] . Birds use wetlands for breeding, nesting and rearing young. Thus, wetlands are ideal habitats for birds serving as roosting and for thermoregulation [8] .The objectives of the study are: (i) To prepare a checklist of wetland birds in and around Jalikhara and Etila beel (wetland), (ii) To calculate the Diversity and Abundance of the avifauna recorded in the study, (iii) To make a comparative analysis of the diversity and abundance of the recorded avifauna. 2. The Study Area Dimoria is a Tehsil in kamrup Metro District of Assam, India. It is located 46 km towards East from District headquarters Guwahati. Dimoria is bounded by Meghalaya on the South, by Morigaon District on North-East and by greater Guwahati city on the West upto Jorabat Amrigong. Dimoria lies between 26 0 N and 26 0 14N latitudes and 91 0 51 / E and 92 0 10 / E longitude. The climate of this region is extensively influenced by the monsoon climate. The average annual temperature is 27 0 C and the average annual rainfall is about 200 cm [9] . Dimoria has some of the most impressive hills and hillocks like Dhoumara pahar in the south, Mata pahar, Nalgedera pahar etc. scattered throughout the region lying mostly in the north-south and east-west direction. 3. Methodology This study was carried out from March 2016 to April 2017. Line transects were used to record birds within or around the study sites [10] [8] [11] . Birds count was from 7:00-10:59 (morning), 11:00-1:59 (midday), and 2:00-4:30 (Late afternoon). The identification of birds was confirmed by the help of “Books of Birds of the Indian subcontinent (Grimmett et al., 1998). Data was analyzed for (i) Species diversity by Shannon-Weiner Diversity Index H ꞌ = , [10] [11] [12] Where Hꞌ = Shannon diversity index, Pi =Proportion of population in species i to the total sample. (ii) Relative Abundance (RA) RA = ×100 [10] [11] [12] . Paper ID: 5061701 739