Avifauna Found in the State Reserved Forest Land of Trongsa District, Bhutan

Abstract

The presence of pristine ecosystems over a wide altitudinal range is a major factor in making Trongsa district biologically diverse. The country is home to 748 bird species. As much as 44% of birds are said to be found in the State Reserved Forest Land of Trongsa district. The district has been identified as an Important Bird Area of the country. We present a comprehensive list of avifauna found inside
the Reserved Forest areas of the district, and the bird species list is based on field observations made in between 2017-2019. We report 330 species of birds belonging to 18 orders with 59 families out of which 321 species are least concerned and 9 are globally threatened species. Among the recorded species, 41% are uncommon, 36% common and 23% are rare in the district. Migratory status showed
that 121 species are resident, 114 altitudinal migrants, 27 summer visitors, 50 winter visitors, 16 passage migrants and two species are said to be vagrants. The present study reveals the richness of birds and conservation importance of habitats outside protected areas and biological corridors are quintessential for conservation of birds in the region