Avifauna of agro-ecosytems surrounded by residential areas

To understand the changes in avian diversity in agro-ecosystems near urban areas because of large scale reduction in the quality of natural habitats, a survey of birds in the agrifields near residential areas was made in two transects at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana. A total of 2897 birds were counted in the two areas including 21 different species. Common myna was found to be the dominant species in these areas. Species richness was highest (15 - 19) in May-June and lowest (4 - 11) in November - December. Significant variation found in the occurrence of different species of birds themselves and in different months (p < 0.05; ANOVA) indicated balance in bird diversity. However, out of total 21 species, the number of insectivorous species (10) was highest in the agriculture fields situated near residential areas, thus indicating the higher it occurrence of useful birds to agriculture in these areas.