Endemicity and diversity of birds of the Kuvempu University Campus, Shivamogga District, Karnataka: an updated checklist

The updated checklist of birds at Kuvempu University Campus including present and past records, now contains 229 species, belonging to 16 orders and 62 families. A family-wise analysis showed that Accipitridae dominated the avifauna of the region (16 species), followed by Muscicapidae (14 species), Picidae (11 species), Columbidae (9 species), Strigidae (8 species), and Cuculidae, Alaudidae, Sturnidae, & Motacillidae (7 species each). The community consists of 83% (190 species) resident and 17% (39 species) winter migrant species. The study also documented four species of birds that are classified as ‘Near Threatened’ (Black-headed Ibis Threskiornis melanocephalus, Pallid Harrier Circus macrourus, Malabar Pied Hornbill Anthracoceros coronatus, and Grey-headed Bulbul Microtarsus priocephalus), one ‘Endangered’ Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus, and one ‘Vulnerable’ Woolly-necked Stork Ciconia episcopus as per the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The campus harbours 69 species, of which 14 are endemic to both the Indian Subcontinent and the Western Ghats. The study highlights the impact of anthropogenic activities as the main cause for the loss of diversity of birds and their habitats and emphasizes the urgent need to conserve this biodiversity-rich area with long-term monitoring programs.