1. INTRODUCTION

Avian fauna within an ecosystem plays a vital role in monitoring the quality of any habitat. Because they occupy a diverse ecological niche, birds are excellent indicators of environmental health, productivity, trophic structure, human disturbance, and contamination levels [1]. Unfortunately, bird diversity is declining due to the destruction of natural habitats, over-exploitation of forest resources, and soil erosion. Understanding both resident and migratory bird populations is essential for determining niche relationships and developing effective management strategies for the protection and conservation of avian fauna. Water pollution and degradation of water sources pose major threats to bird populations. The intense anthropogenic activities in bird natural habitats compelled them to adapt to urban and non-native habitats [2]. Assessing bird communities has become crucial for biodiversity conservation, particularly in areas with high human impact [3,4].

Being one of the top 12 mega biodiversity countries, India is home to 1348 bird species accounting for approximately 12% of the world’s avifauna [5]. In the state of Haryana, approximately 450 bird species have been documented in various wetland areas such as ponds and lakes [6]. Wetlands are highly productive and dynamic ecosystems [7,8] that serve as a transitional link between aquatic and terrestrial habitats [9,10]. They have been recognized as potential habitats for a diverse range of water birds providing them with essential resources such as feeding grounds, breeding sites, roosting areas, and wintering habitats. Wetlands play a crucial role in supporting the livelihood of about 300 bird species [11]. Previous studies have suggested the wetlands of Haryana as a potential roosting and feeding grounds for migratory and several residential birds. In Haryana studies on avian fauna have been mostly performed in the Kurukshetra, Karnal, Panipat, Hisar, and Gurugram districts. However, there have been very few reports on the avian diversity of water birds in Jhajjar district [6,12-19].

The village Mandothi, Jhajjar, Haryana, has a vast area under wetlands. It has three large ponds surrounded by an agricultural ecosystem with a diverse vegetative cover comprising herbs, shrubs, and trees. These man-made wetlands serve as complementary habitats and food sources for a diverse variety of birds. Thus, the study aimed to evaluate the species diversity, feeding guilds, threat status, and population trends of aves in the Mandothi wetlands.

2. MATERIALS AND METHODS

2.1. Study Area

Mandothi (28⁰70’65” N and 76⁰82’07” E) is located 40 km (25 miles) northwest of New Delhi in the Jhajjar district of Haryana [Figure 1]. Mandothi encloses an area of 25 km² comprising nearly 1000 acres of wetland and 3 large ponds with a human population of about 11,000. The place experiences semi-arid type climatic conditions with moderate rainfall and harbors many tree species such as Dalbergia sissoo (Shisham), Prosopis cineraria (Jand), Ziziphus mauritiana (Beri), Salvadora oleoides (Jaal), Eucalyptus spp. (Safeda), Capparis decidua (Kair), Azadirachta indica (Neem), Acacia nilotica (Kikar), and Ficus religiosa (Peepal). Eucalyptus and Shisham trees are commonly abundant in areas with high soil moisture content, while Kikar is mostly spotted in areas with low moisture content. The area also harbors aquatic weeds such as Typha, Phragmites, and Water hyacinth.

Figure 1: Study site (A) location and outline map. (B) Landscape of Mandothi Wetland, Jhajjar, Haryana. [Click here to view]

3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

This study of Mandothi Wetlands recorded a total of 133 bird species distributed among 94 genera of 42 families in 18 orders [Table 1]. Order Passeriformes (n = 50) was the most dominant followed by order Charadriformes (n = 18 species); Pelecaniformes, Anseriformes (n = 13 species each); Columbiformes (n = 6 species); Accipitriformes, Gruiformes (n = 5 species each); Suliformes (n = 4 species); Ciconiiformes, Coraciformes, Cuculiformes (n = 3 species each); and Galliformes, Piciformes, Psittaciformes (n = 2 species each), while order Bucerotiformes, Phoenicopteriformes, Podicipediformes, and Strigiformes reported with only one species [Table 1]. The findings of the study were in accordance with the previous studies on the dominance of the Passeriformes order as prevalent avian taxa in Haryana [26-28].

Table 1: Checklist and status of birds in Mandothi wetlands, Jhajjar, Haryana.

The analysis of RDi revealed Anatidae (n = 13 species, 9.77%) as the most dominant family followed by the family Scolopacidae (n = 11 species, 8.27%); Ardeidae (n = 9 species, 6.77%); Motacillidae (n = 8 species, 6.02%); Muscicapidae (n = 7 species, 5.26%); Columbidae (n = 6 species, 4.51%); Accipitridae, Cisticolidae, Sturnidae (n = 5 species each, 3.76%); Rallidae, Hirundinidae, Leiothrichidae, Threskiornithidae (n = 4 species each, 3.01%); Ciconiidae, Cuculidae, Corvidae, Estrildidae, Phalacrocoracidae (n = 3 species each, 2.26%); and Charadriidae, Recurvirostridae, Alcedinidae, Phasianidae, Alaudidae, Laniidae, Passeridae, Ploceidae, Psittaculidae (n = 2 species each, 1.50%), whereas family Upupidae, Strigidae, Burhinidae, Jacanidae, Rostrafulidae, Meropidae, Anhingidae, Gruidae, Dicruridae, Nectariniidae, Pycnonotidae, Phoenicopteridae, Megalaimidae, Picidae, and Podicipedidae (n = 1 species each, 0.75%) represented least RDi [Table 2].

Table 2: RDi of avian fauna in Mandothi wetland, Jhajjar, Haryana.

Feeding habits of the recorded birds revealed that the highest number of species belonged to the omnivorous (OV) (n = 42), followed by carnivorous (CV) (n = 39), insectivorous (IV) (n = 33), granivorous (GV) (n = 11), herbivorous (HV) (n = 3), frugivorous (FG) (n = 4), and the least represented guild was nectarivorous (NV) (n = 1). The diversity of feeding guilds suggested the adequate resource distribution and rich availability of food in the study site which attracts and supports a large number of birds [Figure 2].

Figure 2: Feeding habits observed in avian community observed at Mandothi Wetland, Jhajjar, Haryana. [Click here to view]

The threat status analysis found that Steppe Eagle (Aquila nipalensis) is an endangered species and Sarus Crane (Grus antigone) is a vulnerable species. The Woolly-Necked Stork (Ciconia episcopus), Black-Tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa), Painted Stork (Mycteria leucocephala), Black-Headed Ibis (Threskiornis melanocephalus), Oriental Darter (Anhinga melanogaster), and Alexandrine Parakeet (Psittacula eupatria) are near-threatened (NT) species (n = 6). The rest of the 125 species are least concerned (LC) [Figure 3]. The findings addressing conservation status are in accordance with an earlier study reporting 124 species in Mandothi Wetlands [28]. The assessment of the global population trend in the study area showed that a stable population is exhibited by 44 species, 41 species exhibited a decreasing population, 27 species exhibited an increasing population, and 21 species represented an unknown population trend [Figure 4]. The presence of a substantial number of species with declining population trends as well as the presence of endangered birds in this area highlights the importance of this site in avian conservation.

Figure 3: Threat status (IUCN) of avian diversity recorded at Mandothi Wetland, Jhajjar, Haryana. [Click here to view]

Figure 4: Population trends (IUCN) of avian community recorded at Mandothi Wetland, Jhajjar, Haryana. [Click here to view]

The seasonal migration data revealed that out of the 133 recorded species, 86 were resident species. While 47 exhibited migratory behavior, among them, 40 species are winter visitors, 6 are summer visitors, and 1 is passage migratory [Figure 5]. The findings are in accordance with a previous study conducted in Bhindawas Bird Sanctuary reporting 82 resident species, 30 WMs, 6 SMs, and 1 PM [16]. Despite a high number of winter migratory bird species in the present study as compared with Bhindawas Bird Sanctuary, a Ramsar site, which is merely 20 km away from the study site, highlights the importance of this site and also suggests that this wetland is a potential bird habitat in Haryana.

Figure 5: Migratory status observed in avian community recorded at Mandothi Wetland, Jhajjar, Haryana. [Click here to view]

4. CONCLUSION

The presence of 133 avian species including 47 migratory birds concludes that Mandothi provides a suitable habitat with rich and diverse feeding resources to support bird diversity. The presence of one endangered species, one vulnerable species, and six NT species draws immediate attention to the protection and conservation of this area for its avian diversity. The appropriate conservation efforts of this area will develop it into a thriving habitat for avifauna and a paradise for bird watchers. It is noteworthy that the study is not conclusive itself and more insightful research focusing on nesting behavior, roosting behavior, and perching guild can be done in the future to understand the avian ecology of the region and to design a holistic conservation plan.

5. AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS

All the authors have made substantial contributions to the content of the manuscript. MC, PK and VM worked on the concept and design. MC, HK and PK performed data acquisition. MC, HK and VM performed data analysis. MC and VM drafted the manuscript. PK and VM critically revised the manuscript. HK and PK performed statistical analysis. VM supervised and finally approved the manuscript.

6. FINANCIAL SUPPORT AND SPONSORSHIP

The study received no financial support and sponsorship.

7. CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

The authors report no financial or any other conflicts of interest in this work.

8. ETHICAL APPROVALS

This study does not involve experiments on animals or human subjects.

9. DATA AVAILABILITY

All the data is available with the authors and shall be provided upon request.

10. USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)-ASSISTED TECHNOLOGY

The authors confirm that there was no use of artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted technology for assisting in the writing or editing of the manuscript and no images were manipulated using AI.

11. PUBLISHER’S NOTE

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. This journal remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published institutional affiliation.

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