A recent paper titled “Relationship between lake area and distance from city center on lake-dependent resident and migratory birds in urban Bengaluru, a tropical mega-city in southern India”, has highlighted the impact of urbanization on birds.
The study, published in the Journal of Urban Ecology, found that the size of the lake area and its distance from the city center are related to the number of bird species that frequent the lake. Larger lakes support more bird species. As the distance from the city center increased, so did the number of bird species.
Written by Ravi Jambhekar, Kulbhushan Singh Suryavanshi and Harini Nagendra, the paper examined how the number of bird species found in Bengaluru’s lakes is related to the size of the degree of urbanization in the surrounding areas.
Ravi Jambhekar, Visiting Scientist, Center for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, talks about the changing bird population in Bengaluru. “We traced the population of waterfowl in and around Bangalore city. Our study found that the migratory birds coming to the city are decreasing but the population of resident birds is increasing. We speculate that the decline in the migratory bird population may be due to some changes in the breeding grounds but lake restoration, the creation of islands in the lakes is helping the resident birds. More species-level studies are needed to understand the mechanisms behind these patterns,” he said.
The study used data from eBird, an online database where citizens, researchers and bird enthusiasts upload their bird observations. Overall, the number of migratory birds in Bengaluru has been declining, while the number of many lake-dependent birds seems to be increasing in the last five years. These declines in migratory species are likely to be linked to conditions on breeding grounds rather than wintering grounds in the city.
“Large lakes support greater diversity than smaller lakes. Larger lakes are likely to have more resting and breeding space, food resources and essential micro-habitat for birds. Lakes in the city center than lakes on the outskirts Bird diversity in the U.S. is low. This may be due to better habitat conditions, better breeding and feeding opportunities in lakes outside the city,” the study said.
Harini Nagendra of Azim Premji University said, “Bengaluru’s lakes have a past that has gone through several phases of construction, renovation, loss and restoration. These changes have affected bird diversity, ultimately affecting the character and beauty of the City of Lakes, Bengaluru. Our exploration of eBird data exploits the power of citizen science to understand how bird communities have changed over time in response to city development and lake restoration. Such research is important for managing lakes and wetlands for biodiversity.”
Birds nesting in the canopy of trees such as cormorants, painted cranes, Brahminy kites, and herons are growing. The study found that this could be due to the availability of nesting sites in the islands maintained by the authorities. Many of these species are also fish eaters and another reason for their increase may be an increase in the number of fish in the lakes, which are the main prey of these birds.
“Nine out of ten duck species found in Bengaluru city are on the decline. This decline is visible in migrant sites. The decline in duck populations may be linked to urban pressure on their breeding grounds (perhaps from feral dogs and cats or other unknown forms of stress). Fish eating birds like Cormorant, Oriental Darter are increasing in the city. An excerpt from the study states that rejuvenating lakes, creating islands, and introducing fish stocks into these lakes could increase the availability of food in the lakes, allowing these birds to maintain stable populations in cities. will gain help in.
Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF) scientist Kulbhushan Singh Suryavanshi told about the declining numbers of species like Pied Kingfisher and how it can be avoided. “With proper management, the lakes in Bengaluru have great potential for conservation of birds within the mega city. While bird watching around the lakes of Bangalore, we have seen many species of waterfowl breeding here. It will be important to maintain and improve some of these important features of the lakes. Our research shows that Pied Kingfisher numbers are declining; They nest in holes dug on vertical soil edges, and these edges have disappeared because the edges of our lakes have been covered with concrete or stones to make walkways. By planning carefully, we can make our urban lakes conducive for birds to live in,” he said.
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