Avifaunal Diversity of Urban Green Spaces of National Capital Territory of Delhi, India

The presence of small green spaces in the urban areas in the form of parks and gardens provides shelter to different species of resident and migratory birds. There is a need for long term documentation of avifaunal diversity which exists in such urban natural environment. This study has been conducted in urban parks of Delhi viz, (i) Hudco Park, (ii) Lodhi Garden, (iii) Siri Fort Park, and (iv) Sanjay Lake Park. All four sites are located in the heart of the South and East Delhi. Bird species were recorded using random surveys in the parks, open areas, across the habitations and along the avenue trees during the period 2017-2022. A total of 62 species and sub-species of birds have been recorded from all four sites, belonging to 13 orders, 35 families and 51 genera. Of these, 50 (81%) are residents and 12 (19%) are migrants. The number of sightings for 13 birds was very common, 18 birds were common, 19 birds were occasional and 12 birds were rare.