Unveiling the Heaven: First Sighting of Four Avian Species in Kibber Wildlife Santuary, Trans Himalayan Ecosystem, Himachal Pradesh, India
Harinder Singh Banyal *
Department of Biosciences Himachal Pradesh University Shimla, India.
Archana Sharma
Department of Biosciences Himachal Pradesh University Shimla, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Globally all mountains including the Himalaya are highly susceptible ecosystems due to the given climatic conditions and land-use changes. Field observations play crucial role in grasping the birds distribution species in biologically and evolutionary important regions particularly in Trans Himalayan ecosystem like the Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary with abundant avian species diversity among all vertebrates found in sanctuary. Present research paper deals with significant bird species sightings in this hard-to-access sanctuary. These bird sightings show how conducting biological surveys and continuous monitoring work help to enhance our understanding using various methods. The stratified random sampling technique was employed for avian fauna survey. Earlier, there were almost negligible efforts made on comprehensive studies of vertebrate diversity in the Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary which makes this study more significant as it will be the baseline information for the forest department and scientific research. The records of four documented birds species are valuable especially since these all are first sightings in the KWS and their IUCN status was also evaluated. Listing of bird’s species will contribute to a better understanding of birds distribution and will be helpful for future research and conservation plans.
Keywords: Avifauna, Kibber wildlife sanctuary, IUCN, trans Himalaya