Bird Diversity in Riverscapes of Ayodhya District, Uttar Pradesh

The bird diversity using line transect method along the 45 km stretch of Saryu river between Aharauli and Pitapur in eastern Uttar Pradesh was assessed.Atotal of sixty eight bird species, belonging to 56 genera, 35 families and 12 orders were recorded from the study area. Passeriformes (24) had the maximum number of bird species. The maximum encounter rate was for Indian Silverbill (2.685) and the minimum for Blue-tailed Bee-eater (0.054). Out of 68 bird species recorded, 56 bird species (82%) were resident, 11 bird species (16%) were winter visitors and only 1 bird species (1%) was summer visitor. A large number of Carnivores (29 species, 43%) were recorded in the area. Of the recorded species, nine were in the threatened category of IUCN Red List and eighteen species (26%) of birds had a declining population trend globally highlighting the conservation value of riverscapes of Saryu river. This study has helped in generating a baseline information on the bird diversity of the Saryu river and emphasis on carrying out long-term monitoring of birds in such threatened ecosystem.