Preliminary Assessment of Avifaunal Diversity and their Feeding Guilds around Kedar Dam in Sarangarh Forest Range, Chhattisgarh

Avifaunal Diversity is one of the most important ecological indicators to evaluate the status of habitats. They act as potential bio-indicators and ideal models for predicting environmental changes. The present study investigates the avifaunal diversity along with their feeding behaviour around Kedar Dam constructed in 1971 as part of an irrigation project in the Mahanadi basin, Chhattisgarh. The reservoir’s habitat provides rich food sources, including nectar, seeds, fruits, insects, fish, reptiles, and forest tree fruits, supporting various avian species around it. The complete study was conducted during the summer season from March 2023 to July 2023 and as result, a total of 55 individual bird species, spanning 15 orders and 31 families, were recorded in the study site. Among these, most of the birds were found omnivore (18 species) feeding on both plants and insects followed by carnivores, granivores, frugivores and insectivores (7 species each) and least species were found as nectarivores (5 species) in the study site. Based on the results, it was also found that omnivores showed maximum diversity (Hmax=3.426) followed by insectivores (Hmax=2.465) and then granivores (Hmax=2.159). It was also found that omnivores showed higher diversity and equitability (H’=3.101, J=0.6945) than other species. Notably, the Alexandrine Parakeet (Psittacula eupatria), classified as Near Threatened (NT) by the IUCN, was documented. The findings emphasize the importance of the dam’s habitat for avian conservation and biodiversity.