Report of five interesting avian species from Durgapur ecoregion, West Bengal, India by citizen science effort

Abstract

This study aimed to report a few lesser known species from Durgapur ecoregion, West Bengal, India. In spite of the anthropogenic pressure, Durgapur supports a high avian diversity. So far, 257 avian species belonging to 59 families were recorded with a citizen science effort during a period of more than five years (2013–present). Out of these, five species discussed here, are either not recorded previously or have few records: Hume’s Lark and Graceful Prinia were recorded from riverine habitat; and Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo, White-rumped Shama, and Indian Blue-Robin were recorded from woodland habitat. More extensive exploration of this region with involvement of citizen scientists in this study will enrich our knowledge about bird diversity, their migration and distribution pattern in this region.

Keywords

• anthropogenic activity
• birds
• drongo
• lark
• prinia
• robin
• shama