An annotated checklist of the birds of upper Chenab catchment, Jammu & Kashmir, India

Abstract

Watershed avifaunal inventories are useful in devising management strategies appropriate to the habitat, as well as species conservation. The Chenab River basin forms one of the largest and most important river basins in Jammu & Kashmir. The upper Chenab catchment offers a rich and diverse fauna, especially birds, owing to variety of habitats, different climatic regimes, and a wide range of altitude,. We present an avifaunal list of four watersheds—Bhot, Marusudar, Kalnai and Neeru of the Chenab River basin including Kishtwar Town and the surrounding area of the upper Chenab catchment over an elevation range of 820–4,500 m. The list includes 251 species belonging to 60 families and 150 genera of which six are globally threatened, 127 residents, 124 migrants and three new to the state. The paper also describes species-wise habitat occupancy, feeding behaviour, migratory status and abundance of the avifauna. The study reveals that mosaic habitats comprising forests, riverbeds, rangelands and rocky outcrops are crucial for the conservation of birds in the region.

Keywords

• avifauna
• chenab river
• climatic regimes
• conservation and management
• distribution pattern
• himalaya
• important bird areas
• mountain ranges.