Diversity and Seasonal activities of Munias with preferent wild grasses in Rajarhat marshy grassland, West Bengal, India

• Authors: Lina Chatterjee , Tarak Samanta , Nandana Chaudhuri , Sumana Besra , Arjan Basu Roy
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

The Scaly-breasted Munia Lonchura punctulata, Tricolored Munia Lonchura malacca, White-rumped Munia Lonchura striata, and Indian Silverbill Euodice malabarica are members of the Estrildidae family and are native to both India and Sri Lanka, however the Chestnut Munia Lonchura atricapilla and Red Avadavat Amandava amandava are only found in India. They typically congregate in groups of several birds and occasionally sit alongside other munia species in plains near water sources, marshy grasslands, or even high altitude grasslands. By using the point-count approach, the diversity and seasonal activities of Munias with preferent wild grasses were identified from August 2021 to July 2022 in Rajarhat, West Bengal, a marshy grassland area. The findings showed that the Scaly-breasted Munia (3164), Tricolored Munia (773), Red Avadavat (548), Chestnut Munia (107), and Indian Silverbill (100) were the most prevalent species. Only two White-rumped Munia were found at the site during the study period. In the research location, munias were seen gathering for nesting and foraging from 13 different types of grasses and most usable grasses were Saccharum spontaneum and Echinochloa colona. January had the most Munias (3540), followed by December (624), while April had the fewest (23). For bird watching, Rajarhat's grasslands, especially Munia, are well-known. But in the past ten years, Rajarhat's land-use pattern has altered significantly, and the amount of grassland is disappearing at a startling rate.

Keywords

EN

Estrildidae; Lonchura; Munia; Pakhibitan; Rajarhat

Discipline

• ZOOLOGY: ZOOLOGY

• Publisher: Scientific Publishing House „DARWIN”
• Journal: World News of Natural Sciences
• Year: 2023
• Volume: 50
• Pages: 60-72

Contributors

author

Lina Chatterjee

• Nature Mates - Nature Club, 6/7 Bijoygarh, Kolkata-700032, West Bengal, India

author

Tarak Samanta

• Nature Mates - Nature Club, 6/7 Bijoygarh, Kolkata-700032, West Bengal, India

author

Nandana Chaudhuri

• Nature Mates - Nature Club, 6/7 Bijoygarh, Kolkata-700032, West Bengal, India

author

Sumana Besra

• Nature Mates - Nature Club, 6/7 Bijoygarh, Kolkata-700032, West Bengal, India

author

Arjan Basu Roy

• Nature Mates - Nature Club, 6/7 Bijoygarh, Kolkata-700032, West Bengal, India

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• Document Type: article