Avifaunal Diversity in Three Selected Habitats, at the Eastern Boarder of the Faculty of Applied Sciences of Rajarata University, Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka‟s avifauna is one of the richest in Asia. Numerous researches were conducted onavifauna of Sri Lanka. However, most of the studies were confined to the wet zone andinformation on the dry zone is scare. The Faculty of Applied Science locates adjacent to theMihintale Sanctuary, provides habitats for different species of birds. The present study aimedto identify the species diversity and feeding ecology of avifauna in three different habitats atthe eastern border of the Faculty of Applied Sciences. The current study was conducted in themorning from 06:00 to 07:30 hrs and 16:30 to 18:00 hrs in the evening during the periodfrom July to October 2014. Line transect method (200×50 m) was used for sampling forestedge, while point counts were used for sampling semi-aquatic habitat and grassland. Thirtyminutes were spent at both points and transect count methods. The area covered duringsampling was 500×30 m. Altogether, 45 birds belong to 21 families were recorded, including42 breeding residents, four winter visitors and four endemic species. Out of 45 birds, 31 werevery common, 14 were common and three were nationally threatened. Shannon DiversityIndex (H') for edge, semi-aquatic and grassland were 2.91, 3.31 and 2.67 respectively.Species composition of three habitats, 6, 5 and 12 bird species were confined to grassland,edge and semi aquatic area. Ocyceros gingalensis, Pycnonotus cafer and Megalaimazeylanica species were common to three habitats. Seven major feeding categories wereobserved within the study site. Majority was insectivores (29%) and lowest was piscivores(4%). The three different types of habitats in the study site provide suitable habitats for avariety of birds. Morning hours are more preferred time for the bird species, because of highfood availability than in the evening. Higher bird diversity occurs in semi-aquatic areabecause of greater diversity of plant species composition. Variation of species richness maybe due to the structural changes of vegetation, availability of food resources, climatic factorsand human influences. Burning of grassland and waste disposal were the main threats toavifaunal distribution within the study site. Hence, avifaunal diversity in the study area needsto be conserved by taking steps to reduce habitat destruction.Keywords: Avifauna; diversity, Mihintale, Feeding, Specie