STUDIES OF THE AVIFAUNA IN URBAN LIMITS OF AJMER, RAJASTHAN, INDIA

The urban sprawls are common in the present age. The urban biodiversity conservation is a challenge for the urban planners. The habitats formed within the green and blue spaces are home for the wide variety of floral and faunal diversity.  In the series of the conservation actions, the present investigation was undertaken in the urban areas of the central Rajasthan, i.e., Ajmer. It aimed to review and prepare comprehensive database through assessment of the avifaunal species of the municipal area of Ajmer. The seasonal surveys and periodic sampling observations were recorded for twenty-four months from February 2017 to January 2019. The urban area was classified into three regions namely, the Urban Green Patches (UGP), Urban Aquatic Area (UAA) and Human Settlement Area (HSA). The UGA & HSA harbored 104 species and 41 species respectively whereas the UAA harbored 95 species. The Relative Diversity Index of the various species was calculated. The present investigation recorded 167 species from 58 families. With the earlier studies with a reporting of 235 species from 62 families, there was addition of 13 new species and two families. Thus, the cumulative list of Ajmer District presented an account of 243 bird species from 64 families.