Published in proceedings of UGC Sponsored Seminar on Faunal Diversity Assessment: Designing Field Studies.

RKMVC College, Kolkata, West Bengal, Sep 9, 2011.

Avifaunal diversity study: Necessary field protocols.

Utpal Singha Roy1 and S. K. Mukhopadhyay2

Durgapur Government College, JN Avenue, Durgapur 713214, West Bengal, India.

Hooghly Mohsin College, Chinsurah - 712101, West Bengal, India.

Corresponding Author: Utpal Singha Roy, Department of Zoology, Durgapur Government College, JN Avenue, Durgapur 713214, West Bengal, India. E-mail: srutpal@gmail.com

ABSTRACT Birds are among the easiest and most studied taxonomic groups due to their attractive colouration, vocal nature and ease of visibility. No surprise that birders around the globe, both experts and amateurs, invest valuable time to cherish their passion for bird watching. Identification of new birds, avian photography and preparing bird distribution maps have become common recreation for most birders. Moreover, study of avifaunal diversity often has been found to be a cost effective way of monitoring the overall health of the environment. The science of ornithology mostly relies on precise estimation of birds of a given region and thus counting is central to ecological studies and conservation of avifauna. Since avifaunal diversity varies greatly with spatio-temporal scale one should clearly define his/her sampling periods and study area (boundary). For example diversity estimation of migratory birds is confined to certain months of the year whereas common