WINTER AVIFAUNAL ASSEMBLAGE IN A PERIURBAN AGRICULTURAL LANDSCAPE OF GANGETIC WEST BENGAL, INDIAPratyush Ghosh, Akash Chakraborty and Shouvanik SenguptaAbstract The present study was carried out in a periurban agricultural landscape located at Boshipota, Hooghly, West Bengal, India with the objectives like preparation of inventory, evaluation of species composition, abundance and diversity and assessment of foraging guild of the avian assemblage during winter (November- February). Line transect method was employed for the avian survey. In total, 91 bird species belonging to 16 orders and 43 families were recorded over two consecutive winter seasons, i.e. 2018-19 and 2019-20. Passeriformes (50.5%) was the dominant avian order and Accipitridae (RDi=6.59) was found to be the most diversified avian family. Bird assemblage of the studied area has shown considerably higher species diversity as reflected in calculated values of different indices of diversity. Twenty (20) winter visitors were recorded from the study area. Analysis of foraging guild has revealed that most of the recorded species were insectivores (35 species) and least number of species is nectarivore (01 species). During the survey, only one âNear Threatenedâ (NT) species was sighted and rest of the sighted species belonged to âLeast Concernedâ(LC) category (according to their IUCN status). This area has been found to have immense potential to attract avifauna but at the same time also becoming threatened due to rapid urban expansion and anthropogenic interventions. |