Avifaunal diversity of the central Western Ghats in Uttara Kannada, Karnataka, India

Abstract

Birds are present across diverse ecosystems and play critical roles as seed dispersers, pest controllers, and indicators of environmental change. Documenting avian diversity in a landscape is essential for recognising its ecological significance, identifying priority areas for conservation, and safeguarding critical habitats. Here, we present a baseline checklist of the avifaunal diversity of the ecologically sensitive areas of the central Western Ghats during the summer season, encompassing the forests of Karwar Forest Division, Yellapur Forest Division, and Kali Tiger Reserve. Using a combination of systematic grid-based point count and opportunistic surveys, we documented a total of 206 species belonging to 66 families and 18 orders. Species richness was highest in the semi  evergreen forest, followed by moist deciduous, and tropical evergreen forest. We recorded 20 species endemic to the Indian subcontinent, of which 13 species were exclusively endemic to the Western Ghats. Our findings provide valuable baseline data for future ecological assessments and conservation planning in this ecologically sensitive region of the Western Ghats.