N

Save Nature to Survive

15(2): 165-167, 2020
[Link]

AVIF
VIFAA UNAL DIVERSITY OF MALLA THAHALLI LAKE IN
MALLATHAHALLI
BANG ALORE URBAN DT
BANGALORE ., K
DT., ARNA
KARNATAK
ARNAT A, INDIA
AKA,

VIDYA PADMAKUMAR1*, C. SILAMBARASAN AND SHINE P JOSEPH1

Department of Zoology, Bangalore University, Jnanabharathi Campus, Bangalore- 560 056.
1
Currently associated with Department of studies and Research in Biosciences,
Mangalore University, Mangalagangotri, Mangaluru - 574 199.
e-mail: -vidyapkumar3@[Link]

KEYWORDS ABSTRACT
Avifauna The study was conducted from July 2015 to July 2017 to determine and understand the occurrence and diversity
diversity of avifauna in the Mallathahalli Lake of Bangalore Urban District. During the study period, 46 species of both
Mallathahalli lake terrestrial as well as aquatic birds belonging to 30 families were identified, of which 9 families were aquatic birds
Seasonal migration and 21 families were terrestrial birds. There were 4 species of migratory birds out of 46, showing diurnal
migration. There was a significant reduction in the number of bird species both terrestrial and aquatic during the
Received on : summer season and also varied greatly during winters and monsoons. Of the total 24 species of aquatic birds,
26.03.2020 Fulica atra and Tachybaptus ruficolis was the most common and the least common Threskiornis melanocephalus.
Among the 22 species of terrestrial birds, Acridotheres tristis was the most common and the least frequent was
Accepted on : Pycnonotus cafer. The most commonly encountered bird species were from the families Anatidae, Podicipedidae,
07.05.2020 Ardeidae, Phalacrocoracidae, Rallidae, Accipitridae, Scolopacidae, Charadridae, Laridae, Meropidae and
Hirudinidae. All the birds surviving around the area, live dependent on the wetland and crop vegetation
*Corresponding surrounding the lake, and anthropogenic interventions are gradually causing a decline in avifaunal diversity
author which must be monitored further and protected.

INTRODUCTION
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Lakes are usually considered as barometers of ecology and
regulate the climate of an urban locale (Benjamin et al., 1996). Mallathahalli Lake is a freshwater, natural lake located on the
They are complex water and land interactive systems, which western fringe of Bangalore city in a less urbanized area
are the most fertile regions and productive sites in the world. currently under [Link] lake falls in the
Wetlands are also one of the most threatened habitats because Vrishabhavathi valley of the Bangalore urban district, and the
of their vulnerability and attractiveness for their development primary source of water to the lake is rainfall and sewage
(Hollis et al., 1988). Avifauna, always has an important link of (Ravikumar et al., 2013). The sewage inlets are at the north,
the food chain in nature. Hence, it is also very important to north east, and north west corners of the lake. The lake is
know their diversity, migratory status, population size, roughly irregular in shape, covering approximately 25.9 ha
of surface area and a perimeter of approximately 2.9 kms. The
distribution pattern,conservation status etc. (Patil, 2013) As a
catchment area of the lake is about 625 ha, with 3 islands
result, there are a large number of aquatic as well as terrestrial
within its premises.
birds surviving dependent on the aquatic system. Many
species of birds respond to very slight changes in habitat The study was conducted by marking 6 points with a distance
structure, therefore serving as bio indicators of changes in the of approximately 500 m from each other. Random sampling
environment (Robert et al., 2001). method was used to spot the birds from the points (Inac et al.
(2008). The observations were conducted 2 h after sunrise
Of more than 9,000 bird species of the world, the Indian and 2 h before sunset every weekend for a period of 2 years
subcontinent houses 1,300 species or over 13% of the world’s from July 2015 to July 2017. Seasonal changes in the density
bird species (Grimmet et al., 2004). India has a diverse range and diversity of the avifauna were also recorded. The birds
of wetland systems, which harbors a large variety of species of observed were classified on the basis of Birds of the Indian
birds that are dependent on the ecosystem. Subcontinent (Grimmet and Inskipp, 2011).
The current study was conducted to devise an inventory on
the species of birds that live around the Mallathahalli Lake of RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Bangalore, Karnataka, and understand their dependence on
the aquatic system. This work can be marked as a preliminary During the study period, 46 species of both terrestrial as well
study on the ecosystem of the area and can be used for further as aquatic birds belonging to 30 families were identified, of
studies and analysis on the decline of the aquatic region and which 9 families were aquatic birds and 21 families were
its surroundings. terrestrial birds. There were 4 species of migratory birds out of

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VIDYA PADMAKUMAR et al.,

Table 1: Resident Birds recorded in and around Mallathahalli Lake during 2015-2017
Sl. No. Common Name Scientific name Order
1 Purple Swamp Hen Porphyrio porphyrio Gruiformes
2. Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus Gruiformes
3 White-Breasted Water Hen Amaurornis phoenicurus Gruiformes
4 Common Coot Fulica atra Gruiformes
5. Purple Heron Ardea purpurea Ciconiiformes
6. Indian Pond Heron Ardeola grayii Ciconiiformes
7 Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis Podicipediformes
8 Spot-Billed Duck Anas poecilorhynca Anseriformes
9. White-Throated Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis Coraciiformes
10. Little Cormorant Phalacrocorax niger Pelecaniformes
11. Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo Pelecaniformes
12. Little Egret Egretta garzetta Ciconiiformes
13 Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis Ciconiiformes
14. Intermediate Egret Mesophoyx intermedia Ciconiiformes
15. Red-Wattled Lapwing Vanellus indicus Charadriiformes
16 Wire-Tailed Swallow Hirundo smithii Passeriformes
17. Pied Bushchat Saxicola caprata Passeriformes
18. Asian Open Bill Anastomus oscitans Ciconiiformes
19. Ashy Prinia Prinia socialis Passeriformes
20. Green Bee-Eater Merops orientalis Coraciiformes
21. Black Drongo Dicrurus macrocercus Passeriformes
22. Laughing Dove Streptopelia senegalensis Columbiformes
23. Red-Vented Bulbul Pycnonotus cafer Passeriformes
24. Brahminy Starling Sturnus pagodarum Passeriformes
25 House Sparrow Passer domesticus Passeriformes
26. House Crow Corvus splendens Passeriformes
27. Indian Robin Saxicoloides fulicata Passeriformes
28. Yellow-Eyed Babbler Chrysomma sinense Passeriformes
29. Asian Pied Starling Sturnus contra Passeriformes
30. Common Myna Acridotheres tristis Passeriformes
31 Asian Koel Eudynamys scolopacea Cuculiformes
32. Rose-Ringed Parakeet Psittacula krameri Psittaciformes
33. Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis Columbiformes
34. Eurasian Golden Oriole Oriolus oriolus Passeriformes
35. Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos Charadriiformes
36 Brahminy Kite Haliastur indus Accipitriformes
37. Greater Coucal Centropus sinensis Cuculiformes
38. Tawny Eagle Aquila rapax Accipitriformes
39. Bush Warbler Horornis diphone Passeriformes
40. Raven Crow Corvus corax Passeriformes
41. Coppersmith Barbet Megalaima haemacephala Piciformes
42. White-browed Wagtail Motacilla maderaspatensis Passeriformes

Table 2: Seasonal Local Migrants recorded in and around Mallathahalli Lake during 2015-2017
[Link]. Common Name Scientific name Order
1 Black-headed Ibis Threskiornis meloanocephalus Ciconiiformes
2 Grey Heron Ardea cinerea Ciconiiformes
3 Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus Charadriiformes
4 River Tern Sterna aurantia Charadriiformes

46, showing diurnal migration. There was a significant Charadridae, Laridae, Meropidae, and Hirudinidae (Table 1).
reduction in the number of bird species both terrestrial and Resident birds such as water hens, herons, kingfishers,
aquatic during the summer season and also varied greatly parakeets, green bee eater, bulbul, common coot, and little
during winters and monsoons. Of the total 24 species of aquatic cormorant etc. were found regularly throughout the study
birds, Fulica atra and Tachybaptus ruficolis was the most period. The seasonal local diurnal migrants observed
common and the least common Threskiornis melanocephalus. throughout the study period were Black-headed Ibis
Among the 22 species of terrestrial birds, Acridotheres tristis (Threskiornis melanocephalus), Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea),
was the most common and the least frequent was Pycnonotus Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus), and River Tern
cafer. The most commonly encountered bird species were (Sterna aurantia) [Table 2]. Threskiornis melanocephalus was
from the families- Anatidae, Podicipedidae, Ardeidae, observed only once during the entire survey.
Phalacrocoracidae, Rallidae, Accipitridae, Scolopacidae, Mallathahalli Lake is seen to be largely affected by several

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 AVIFAUNAL DIVERSITY IN MALLATHAHALLI LAKE

sources of pollution, which include washing of clothes, Grimmet, R., Inskip, T., Islam, M.Z. 2004. Birds of Northern India.
animals, vehicles, etc. The lake has also been determined to Christopher Helm A and C Bleak Publishers Ltd. London.
be organically polluted because of the misuse of the lake sides Grimmet Richard, Inskipp Carol and Inskipp Tim. 1999. Birds of the
as public toilets (Ravikumar et al., 2013). The southern part of Indian Subcontinent, Oxford University Press, Mumbai.
the lake has also been used as a crematorium. To the west of Hollis, G.E., Holand, M. M .and Larson, J.S. 1988. Wise use of
the lake, there is an Areca plantation surrounded by several wetlands. Nature and Resources. 24(1):2-13.
housing encroachments. The sewage line enters the lake from Hosetti, B.B., Somanath, B.C. and Naik, K.L., 2001. Eco-ornithological
the north east and eastern banks of the lake. Cattle grazing can studies on Gudavi Bird Sanctuary, Shimoga, Karnataka, India,
be seen to the west and north of the lake. The Areca plantations, cited. Trends in wild life biodiversity conservation and management
in particular, are inhabited by most of the terrestrial birds that (Eds.: BB Hosetti and M. Venkateshwarulu), 1, pp.269-289.
have been identified. A few nests were also observed in the Hussain, S. A., K. K. Mohapatra and S. Ali 1984. Avifaunal profile of
lush vegetation surrounding the circumference of the lake Chilka Lake, A case for conservation, JBNHS, Bombay, Technical
area. Although pollution and encroachment have partly gulped report-4.
the lake, there have been restoration works initiated by the Inac, S., O. Gorucu and A.H. Pinar 2008. The bird species of
BBMP, Bengaluru, which has been working on the Kumasir Lake (Kahramanmaras-Turkey) and a view of environmental
regeneration of the water body to some extent. All these have ethics on sustainable wetland management. J. Environ. Biol. 29: 411-
414.
had significant effects on the birds living there, which resulted
in a partial reduction in the number of species identified over Motup, T. S. E.W.A.N.G. and Sahi, D. N. 2013. Avifaunal diversity
of district kargila Trans-Himalayan region of J and K state. The Ecoscan.
a period of 2 years.
7(1&2): pp.73-78.
Order Passeriformes was also seen dominant as recorded by Patil, M. S. and Hiragond, N. C., 2013. Avifauna diversity along the
Reginald et al. (2007) in the Singanallur Lake of Tamil Nadu. Ghataprabha River in Shettihalli, Hukkeri Taluk, North Karnataka.
Similar studies that have been referred to during the study The Ecoscan. 7(1&2): pp.79-82.
period include- Saxena (1975) had studied the flora and fauna Ravikumar, P., Mehmood, M.A. and Somashekar, R.K., 2013. Water
of the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary. Hussain et al. (1984) profiled quality index to determine the surface water quality of Sankey tank
the avifauna of Chilka Lake in Orissa. Singh and Roy (1990) and Mallathahalli Lake, Bangalore urban district, Karnataka,
studied the diversity of birds in Kawar Lake in Bihar. Sanjay India. Applied water science. 3(1): pp.247-261.
(1993) studied the ecology of birds at Kokkare-Bellur. Hosetti Reginald, Joseph L. Mahendran, C. Sureshkumar, S and Pramod P.
et al. (2001) studied the ornithological aspects of the Gudavi 2007. Birds of Singanallur Lake, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. Zoo’s
bird Sanctuary, Shimoga. Shanbhag et al. (2001) reported the Print J. 22(12):2944-2948
impact of the Konkan Railway Project on the avifaunal diversity Robert A Fimbel., John, A.G and Robinson, G. 2001. The Cutting
of Carambolim Lake in Goa. Inac et al. (2008) studied the bird Edge: Conserving Wildlife in Logged Tropical Forest.
species of Kumasir Lake, Turkey. Avifaunal diversity studies Sanjay, G. S. 1993. An ecological study of birds at Kokkare Bellur.
were also conducted by Motup (2013) in the Trans-Himalayan Final Report of the study sponsored by WWF-India, New Delhi.
region and documented. Saxena, V.S. 1975 A study of flora and fauna of Bharatpur Bird
Sanctuary, Dept. of Tourism, Jaipur, Rajasthan.
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railway project on the avifauna of Carambolim Lake in Goa. Zoos’
Benjamin, R., Chakrapani, B.K., Devashish, K., Nagarathna, A.V. Print J. 16, 503-508.
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