Avifaunal Community Structure and Ecological Guild Distributions Across an Urban-Agricultural Interface Matrix in Baraut, Western Uttar Pradesh

Abstract

Avian communities function as vital bio indicators for charting patterns of avian distribution as well as detecting stresses and impacts of human landscape factionalization. We assessed wild diversities of avifauna, their taxonomic spread, and ecological guild configurations, in the towns borders, and in the surrounding agricultural lands of Baraut, Baghpat District, Western Uttar Pradesh, India. Field survey counts were undertaken with point-count arrays and random line transects, for four macro-habitats : Agricultural, Woodland/Orchard, Urban, and Wetlands. To avoid artifical population inflation stemming from the presence of humans in the immediate area, a filtering screening exercise was undertaken on our primary network of 21 field surveys, such that the entirety of purely domesticated livestock as well as heavy concentrations of urban feral morphs was removed. With this screening technique we derived solid basewilds ith 16 true wilds spread over 10 different orders, and 15 different family groups. In our taxonomic configuration exercise, this 16 was still highly dominated in structure by the order Passeriformes, which represented 43.75% (n = 7) of the wild avifauna amassed, all other nine remaining non passerine orders were ‘thrown a share’, and split the remainder at 6.25% (n = 1) each! No shared species in any of the 10 remaining Orders was found. At the family level of sorts, Sturnidae was the single multi species group (12.50%, n = 2), the rest of the group divide equally the 14 remaining families of 6.25% (n = 1). Foraging guild analysis revealed: 37.50% (n = 6) of the wilds are generalist omnivores, 26.25% (n= 4) are carnivores, 18.75%(n = 3) are insectivores, 12.50% (n = 2) are frugivores, and finally, granivores represent 6.25% (n = 1). Habitat affinity analysis yielded: agricultural farmlands scored in highest at 37.50% (n = 6), and shared win of next step down with woodlands/orchards at 25.00% (n = 4 each), with Urban and wetland systems tied at 18.75% each (n = 3). That carnivorous and insectivorousrepresenting two critical functional ecological components/systems log a stable 43.75% (combined) in such a working regional food web is important, even if all the wilds are on the IUCN Least Concern (LC) conservation category on the low end of the gradient. At the other end, this uninflated survey points a little hope in an unexpected resilience among heterocitizens of native avifauna in adapting to modified matrices of culturally different orbits, the gist being that curative input for local sugarcane and wheat crops is inevitably being fed in primarily by its avian moiety! We conclude the note by recommending the conservation of traditional orchards, mixed crops, and village wetlands, to help sustain this fragile but outstandingly valuable regional biodiversity.