A Comprehensive Survey of Avifaunal Diversity of Central University of Odisha, India

This paper is a comprehensive survey of avian diversity in the Central University of Odisha, situated in the Sunabeda of the Koraput district and epitomizes different ecosystems over 450 acres. The survey was conducted over a period of 12 months from September 2023 to August 2024, dealing with species of birds, seasonal population dynamics, and habitat associations across this ecologically important region. Observations were conducted at peak bird activity hours on grasslands, forests, agricultural land, and water bodies with the observations recorded systematically. A total of 117 species of birds were recorded comprising 16 orders and 51 families, with Passeriformes having the highest number of species richness, reflecting that perching birds are well adapted to all kinds of habitats. Some of the notable families were Muscicapidae and Corvidae, which obviously accounted for a major influence on ecosystem functions in the area of study. The study represented various feeding guilds among the avian species. More species were insectivorous, followed by omnivorous and granivorous. Patterns in habitat preferences also emerged, where grasslands and agricultural lands provided a high number of species, reflecting their suitability as foraging and nesting grounds. Piscivorous species were mainly confined to water bodies while forest habitats supported all sorts of specialized feeding behaviours. The results of this survey will fill base data for the development of conservation strategies that lie in consonance with the ecological needs of avian populations in the Sunabeda region and thus will contribute towards regional as well as national avian conservation efforts.