Indian Wetland Birds

2005·54.7 MB·English

by  Alfred, J. R. B.

Handbook on
Indian Wetland Birds
and their Conservation
ArunKumar
J.P. Sati
p.e.
Tak
and
J.R.B. Alfred*
Zoological Survey of.. India, 218 Kaulagarh Road, Dehra Dun 248 195
*Zoological Survey of India, M-Block, New Alipore, Kolkata 700 053
Zoological Survey of India
Ministry of Environment and Forests
Government of India
I<.olkata-700 053
Citation
Kumar, A., Sati, J. P., Tak, P. C. and Alfred, J. R. B. 2005. Handbook on Indian
Wetland Birds and their Conservation: i-xxvi; 1- 468 (Published by the Director,
Zool. Surv. India).
Published: March 2005
ISBN 81-8171-058-4
Art work: Manoj Rawat
© Government 0.( India, 2005
All Rights Rcscn'cd
• Th~ copyright of th~ photographs and maps r~main with thc indi\'idual photographers / institutions
and can not b~ r~produccd without th~ir p~mlission.
• No part of this puhlication may bc r~produc~d. stor~d in a retrie\'al system or transmitted. in any
form or hy any m~ans. d~ctronic. Ill~chanical. photocopying. recording or othcrwise without the
prior p~rll\ission of th~ publish~r.
• This hook is sold subj~ct to th~ condition that it shall not. by way of tradc. be lent. resold. hired out
or oth~rwis~ dispos~d ofl without th~ publish~r's conscnt. in any fonn of binding or cover other
than that in which it is publish~d.
• Th~ l.·orr~l.·t pricc of this puhlication is th~ pricc printcd on this page. Any rcvised price indicated by
a ruhber stamp or by a stick~r or hy any othcr means is incorrcct and should be unacceptable.
R~d-foot~d Booby
PRI
Indi n: R . 1,500.00
or i n: 0; £ 60
Puhlished at the Puhlication Division hy the Director. Zoological Survey of India.
234:'4. A.J.C. Bose Road. 2".1 MS() Building ( l.V" Floor). Nizalll Palace. Kolkata - 700 020
and printed at Shiva ()tTset Printing Press. Dehra Dun-24X 00 I
rICf ~tstlCi gfclCOlCctdtldldtCi mflq:cfldOdtl I
~ 5P13tt ~~CJtl~tpCl( ~ dtlt8dCl( I I
ma nishad pratishthatwamagmad shashwatisama
H
yad krouncha mithunadekam awadhikam mohitam"
A Shloka from the Ramayana where Maharishi Valmiki is cursing the hunter
who killed the Sarus in courtship
o
o
..c
0..
Pair of Sarus Cranes giving a unison call
Picture ofF lock ofP ink-headed Duck is ofN ovember 1929, possibly by the famous Indian Ornithologist Salim Ali,
at Alfred Ezra's waterfowl collection in England. It seems that the last Pink-headed Duck died in 1936 in Delacour's collection,
Cleres, France. The black and white photograph was coloured for the book ofF rank Todd (1996).
CONTENTS
Foreword
Vtt-tX
Authors' Preface
Xt-xttt
Acknowledgements xv
Acknowledgements for photographs
XVt
.. .
How to use this book
XVtt-XXVt
1. Introduction ........................................................... . 1-28
1.1 Biogeography of India 1-6
1.2 Wetland Birds and their Values 7-8
1.3 Habitats 8-11
1.4 Heronries 11-13
1.5 Migration 13-23
1.6 Major Waterbird Flyways 23-26
1.7 Watching Wetland Birds 26-28
2. Bionomics of Wetland Birds .......................................... . 29-295
2.1 Checklist 29-42
2.2 Waterbirds 43-245
2.3 Wetland Dependent and Associated Birds 246-295
3. atu f Wed d Birds ................................................. . 297-317
3 .1 Residential 297
3.2 Abundance 298
3.3 Conservation 298-317
4. Socio-economics of Wetlands ......................................... . 319-340
4.1 Values 319-332
4.2 Threats 332-338
4.3 Conservation 338-340
5. Protected Area Ne'tWork ................................................... . 341- 76
5.1 Wetland Sanctuaries and National Parks 341-342
5.2 Ramsar Sites 342-363
5.3 Montreux Sites 364
5.4 World Heritage Sites 364
5.5 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) 364-365
5.6 Sacred wetlands 365-366
6. Framework for Conservation .............................................. . 377-4 1
6.1 National Policies and Laws 377- 81
6.2 International Conventions, Agreements and Policies 381- 98
6.3 Co-ordination of Action in the Asian Regio·n 98-406
6.4 A Strategy for Threatened Wetland Birds in India 407-421
6.5 Government and Non-Government Organisation 421-431
v
7. £; r n .................... ........................................................ 433-437
p p n di ........................................... '.. . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . 439 -4 5 8
Appendix 1 : Accession to international conventions directly
relevant to the conservation of waterbirds in the
A ia-Pacific Region
Appendix 2 Migratory waterbird species of special
conservation interest in the Asia-Pacific region
Appendix 3 Cony ntion on Wetlands Recommendation VI.4
Appendix 4 onv ntion on Wetlands, Recommendation VII.3
Appendix 5 onvention on Wetlands, Re olution VIII.38
Appendix 6 onvention on Wetlands, Resolution VII.3
App ndix 7 onvention on Wetlands, Resolution VII.21
App ndix 8 As ssm nt and Monitoring of Waterfowl Habitat
u ing R mot ensing t chniques - A case study
i."'-UO............................................................... 459-463
.... &.L.I. ....
............................ ...................................................................... .. 6 - 68
'
B ·->d- ~ti
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FiOR.EWORD
India is a wonderful place for waterbirds! Visitors are often amazed at the ability of wildlife, including
large waterbirds and birds-of-prey, to co-exist with man in intensively utilised landscapes. Species such as
Spot-billed Pelican Pelecanus ph i lippens is , Greater Adjutant Leptoptilos dubius, Black-bellied Tern
Sterna acuticauda and Indian Skimmer Rynchops albicollis were formerly widespread in tropical Asia, but
have declined drastically in South-East Asia and southern China, leaving India and neighbouring countries
as their main strongholds. Many other species occur in greater abundance in India than anywhere else. The
protection and management of wetlands in India is therefore vital for the long-term survival of many
wetland species, and for the maintenance of waterbird populations.
The Zoological Survey of India and the authors of the book are to be congratulated on the production
of this new handbook. It not only includes the plates, distribution maps and text required to identify and
enjoy watching wetland birds, but also provides a wealth of information relevant to their conservation.
Many hundreds of birdwatchers in India regularly participate in the Asian Waterfowl Census, and this
handbook will be of great benefit to their efforts. It will both help them to identify the birds that they are
counting, especially to pick out some of the more 'difficult' species, but will also make clear how their
efforts can feed into wetland conservation. At the local level, high-quality information on the numbers and
distribution of waterbirds can help guide wetland management. At the national and global levels, it is vital
for the successful implementation of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, the Convention on Biological
Diversity and other international agreements.
As India's economy grows, and its human population increases, the pressures on the natural
environment will become greater than ever before. Many wetlands are being converted for agriculture and
other uses, increasing use of agrochemicals is causing pollution, and excessive extraction of water from
waterways is causing many wetlands to dry up more frequently than in the past. The challenge to
conservationists is huge, but this handbook will be an invaluable new tool in our work.
JVo-...~ ~~
Michael J. Crosby
Research and Data Manager
BirdLife International Asia Division
BirdLife International, U.K.
Honorary President: HIH Princess Takamado of Japan
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