76 International Research Journal of MMC (IRJMMC) Vol. 2 Issue 4 (December, 2021) ISSN 2717-4999 (Online) 2717-4980 (Print) www.mmchetauda.edu.np 76 Avifaunal Diversity of Barandabhar Corridor Forest, Chitwan, Nepal Praveen Kumar Jha Department of Zoology, Tri-Chandra Multiple Campus, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal Email: jhapraveenkumar8@gmail.com Debendra Prasad Dhakal Department of Zoology, Makawanpur Multiple Campus, Hetauda Email: debdhakal@gmail.com Corresponding Author Praveen Kumar Jha DOI: https://doi.org/ 10.3126/irjmmc.v2i4.41555 Received: December 12, 2021; Revised & Accepted: December 21, 2021; Published: December 22, 2021 © Copyright: Jha (2021). ABSTRACT The main aim of the study was to analyze the avifaunal diversity of Chitwan, Nepal. The avifaunal diversity at six transects of Barandabhar Corridor Forest in Chitwan district was carried out during two visits (autumn and spring) in 2020-2021. The line transect method was used to cover most of the study area. In total, 125 species of birds representing 18 orders and 59 families were recorded. The highest number of bird species i.e. (56) 44.8% were represented by order Passeriformes along with 34 families. The highest number of species was found in family Picidae (9) 7.2% followed by Cuculidae (8) 6.4% and least number (1) 0.8% in other 31 families. The seasonal status of species was Autumn (84) and Spring (116). The relative abundance of species was Very Common (60), Common (40), Uncommon (16), and Rare (9). According to the National Red List of Nepal’s Birds, 110 species were in the Least Concern category, eight species were in the Near Threatened category, six species were in the Vulnerable category and one species was in the Critically Endangered category. It was noted that major threats to the birds were illegal fishing, noise pollution, firewood collection, illegal cattle grazing, and invasive alien plant species. One Globally Threatened Bird Lesser Adjutant Leptoptilos javanicus was also noted. Keywords: Birds, Corridor Forest, Diversity, Family, Season 1. INTRODUCTION There are around 10,000 live bird species on the planet (Mensing, 2011). Birds vary in their habitats, diversity, abundance, and distribution throughout the world (Singh, 2015). One of the most important ecological indicators for evaluating the quality of habitats is avifaunal diversity. Nowadays, avifaunal diversity has decreased due to the destruction of natural habitats and human disturbances (Sarkar et al., 2009). Forests attract a large number of avifauna because they provide suitable habitats for most birds, especially those birds that are associated with vegetation, and for most, the existing trees are a vital component of their life