A STUDY OF AVIAN DIVERSITY IN DURGAPUR GOVERNMENT COLLEGE CAMPUS, WEST BENGAL, INDIA

The present study was performed to investigate bird diversity at Durgapur Government College Campus, West Bengal, India from January 2013 to January 2020. The standard point count method and opportunistic sightings were used to make the checklist of the bird species. A total of 106 different bird species belonging to 47 families were recorded. Sylviidae was recorded as the most diverse family. Out of the 106 bird species, 23 were winter migrants, 4 were summer migrants, 1 was passage migrant, 1 was vagrant and the rest 77 were residents. Winter months supported the highest species richness while maximum bird density was recorded in the month of March. The global population trend chart of the observed bird species showed that most of the species belonged to the stable category (52 %, 55 species). Alexandrine Parakeet (Psittacula eupatria) belonged to the Near Threatened category of the IUCN Red List category among the recorded birds. The present study area is now facing various anthropogenic disturbances which are leading to the decline of the bird populations and need special attention. More extensive studies will surely enrich our knowledge of the avifauna of this area