A STUDY ON THE HABITAT SUITABILITY OF THREE FOCAL

SPECIES IN D’ERING WILDLIFE SANCTUARY, ARUNACHAL

PRADESH
A Thesis submitted to Pondicherry University in partial fulfillment of the
requirement for the award of the degree of

Master of Science in
Ecology and Environmental Sciences
By
NANDANA CHAUDHURI
Registration No. 17371033

DR. S. Babu
Research Supervisor

SALIM ALI CENTRE FOR ORNITHOLOGY AND NATURAL HISTORY,

ANAIKATTY,

COIMBATORE- 641108.

APRIL - 2019
Dr. S. Babu.
Senior Scientist,
Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History,
Anaikatty,
Coimbatore- 641108, India.

CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that the dissertation titled “A Study on the Habitat Suitability of Three
Focal Species in D’Ering Wildlife Sanctuary, Arunachal Pradesh” is based on the
original work carried out by Ms. Nandana Chaudhuri, of the Department of Ecology &
Environmental Sciences, Pondicherry University (2017-2019), under my supervision, in
partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of degree of Master of Science from
Pondicherry University. The matter embodied in this thesis is original and has not been
submitted for the award of any degree.

Place: Puducherry Dr. S. Babu.

Date: Research Supervisor

Dr. S. Jayakumar
Head of the Department,
Department of Ecology & Environmental Sciences
Pondicherry University
Nandana Chaudhuri,
II M.Sc. (Reg. No: 17371033),
Department of Ecology & Environmental Sciences,
Pondicherry University,
Puducherry-605014

DECLARATION

I hereby declare that the work which is being presented in the dissertation titled “A Study
on the Habitat Suitability of Three Focal Species in D’Ering Wildlife Sanctuary,
Arunachal Pradesh” submitted in Pondicherry University in partial fulfillment of the
degree of Masters of Science in Ecology & Environmental Sciences is an authentic record
of the original work done by me under the supervision of Dr. S. Babu, Senior Scientist,
Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History.
This work has not been submitted in full or part, for the award of any other
Degree, Diploma, Fellowship or other similar title previously.

Place: Puducherry
Date: Nandana Chaudhuri
 Acknowledgement

I thank the following people for helping me see this work through:

Dr. S. Babu, Salim Ali Center for Ornithology and Natural History, my research
supervisor, for getting me started on this project and for all the help and encouragement
he gave me throughout and for patiently going through my work and correcting my
mistakes.

Dr. D. Ramamoorthy, my supervisor for his encouragement and support.

Forest Department, Arunachal Pradesh for giving me permission to working D’ering

Wildlife Sanctuary and for all the help extended to me during my field work.

Sarbasis, for helping me throughout in the field.

Nagarathna, Ayushi, Avrajjal and Akshay for being great friends.

Ahana, for being the best sister and always keeping me motivated.

My mother, for her endless support.

All others whom I haven’t mentioned here, but without whom this work could not have
been completed.

1
 Contents
Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... 4

Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 5

Literature Review ......................................................................................................................... 7

State of grassland and grassland associated avifauna around the world........................................... 7

State of grassland and grassland associated avifauna in India ........................................................... 8
Habitat modelling.................................................................................................................................... 8
Study area and species ................................................................................................................ 11

Study Area: ............................................................................................................................................ 11

Study species: ........................................................................................................................................ 12
Methodology ................................................................................................................................ 13

Field Sampling Methods: ..................................................................................................................... 13

Data Analysis Methods: ........................................................................................................................ 13
Results .......................................................................................................................................... 15

Observations of grassland and grassland associated birds: .............................................................. 15

Habitat structure and composition...................................................................................................... 21
Habitat modelling for three focal species: Black-breasted Parrotbill, Jerdon’s Babbler and
Indian Grass Babbler ........................................................................................................................... 23
Discussion..................................................................................................................................... 26

References .................................................................................................................................... 29

2
 List of Tables

Table 1: Checklist of grassland and grassland associated birds of D’Ering Wildlife Sanctuary

Table 2: Summary statistics of candidate model performed and contribution of covariates for site
occupancy (and SE) of black-breasted parrotbill, D’ering Sanctuary, India. Results are ranked
based on AIC values of models with ΔAIC (AIC – min AIC), AIC model weight (wi) and number
of parameters (k).

Table 3: Summary statistics of candidate model performed and contribution of covariates for site
occupancy (and SE) of Jerdon’s babbler, D’ering Sanctuary, India. Results are ranked based on
AIC values of models with ΔAIC (AIC – min AIC), AIC model weight (wi) and number of
parameters (k).

Table 4: Summary statistics of candidate model performed and contribution of covariates for site
occupancy (and SE) of Indian grass babbler, D’ering Sanctuary, India. Results are ranked based
on AIC values of models with ΔAIC (AIC – min AIC), AIC model weight (wi) and number of
parameters (k).

List of Figures and 1plates

Figure 1: Map of D’Ering Wildlife Sanctuary in Arunchal Pradesh

Figure 2: Total no. of species in each order

Figure 3: Average grass height for each island

Figure 4: Species richness for each island

Plate 1: Black-breasted parrotbill

Plate 2: White Wagtail
Plate 3: Yellow-bellied Prinia
Plate 4: Black-necked stork
Plate 5: Collection of grass for thatch making purpose

Plate 6: Burning of grasslands

3
 Abstract

The study was conducted in the D’Ering Wildlife Sanctuary in Arunachal Pradesh. The study
period was from December 2018 to March 2019. In this study I looked at the bird composition in
the grasslands of 30 islands in the study area. A total of 69 species were recorded out of which
11 were threatened species. The habitat structure and composition of the grasslands were also
recorded. The habitat was then associated with the occupancy of Black-breasted Parrotbill,
Jerdon’s Babbler and Indian grass-babbler. The analysis was done using the Presence software.
Many anthropogenic threats were identified such as burning, collection of grasses, overgrazing
and mining. It is suggested that the grasslands be maintained using fire but with proper planning
and minimize the other threats as much as possible.

4
 Introduction

Arunachal Pradesh is located in the Eastern Himalayan Global Biodiversity Hotspot and the
eastern edges is located in the confluence of Eastern Himalayan, Indo-Malayan and Mountain of
South West China biodiversity hot spot (Sen and Mukhopadhyay, 1999, Meyers et al., 2000). This
makes Arunachal Pradesh extremely rich in terms of biodiversity. Other factors contributing to
this effect are zoo-geographic location, altitudinal variation, diverse vegetation, high rainfall,
different climate regimes and the fact that the state has 81.37% of forest cover (Borang, 2004 and
Borang et al., 2008).

The Brahmaputra river is one of the major rivers in Asia. It is the ninth largest river by discharge,
and the 15th longest. According to Gilfellon, Sarma and Gohain (2003), the Brahmaputra river
has four topographic levels. The fourth level which is at least 8 m higher than the first level
remains above water even during high flood. Grasses are present on all four topographic levels.
Only the fourth level has trees growing on them. Following the grassland classification of
Dhadabgao and Sankarnarayan (1973) the grass species composition of the Brahmaputra river
plain includes Phragmites, Sachharum and Imperata. There are many islands throughout the
Brahmaputra river. The Brahmaputra River and its tributaries are under intense environmental
risk due to climate changes and resultant man-made activities. The Brahmaputra river basins are
exposed to numerous environmental stresses including increasing floods, droughts, river bank
erosion, glacier lake outburst, landslides among others and are highly sensitive to changes in
precipitation patterns (Johnson et. al. 2014).

The D’Ering Wildlife Sanctuary comprises of a cluster of river islands on the Siang river. The
river Siang has its origin in the glaciers in Tibet and forms the major tributary of Brahmaputra
river. This region is home to many threatened birds like Swamp Prinia, Black-breasted parrotbill,
Jerdon’s babbler, Marsh babbler and Indian Grass-babbler. The islands have both forests and
grassland ecosystem. During the winter months (November till March) the water level recedes
and a major portion of the riverbed is exposed making it an ideal spot for foraging for birds like
Indian Cormorants, Ruddy Shelduck, Little Egret and Intermediate Egret. In terms of avifauna,
this region is one of the richest in the world, with 869 species at last count and three new species
descriptions within the last decade (Kumar & Singh 2003; Athreya 2006; Alström et al. 2016;

5
Lepage 2017). Due to lack of proper surveys most of the area still remains unexplored. Birds are
still being recorded for the first time from this region (Datta-Roy et al. 2018). Due to changing
levels of the water the island structures keep changing from one year to the next. Some of the
island and consequently all the flora and fauna inhabiting these islands faces serious threats of
being completely wiped out due to flooding during the monsoon. Other threats faced by this
region is intervention of humans in the form of grazing of cattle, collection of grasses and timber,
hunting, tourism, fishing, and burning of grasslands.

Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by graminoids i.e., grasses and grass like
plants. In the temperate region, the grasslands have a high richness of Caryophyllaceae,
Gentianaceae and Rosaceae (Chandran, 2015). They are a highly dynamic ecosystem (Blair et
al., 2014). In India grassland comprises of 24% of the total geographical area and exhibits a wide
range of ecological characteristics (Singh et al., 1983). With the exception of Alpine grassland of
the Himalayas and hill top grassland of Western Ghats most grasslands in the country are
anthropogenic and seral in nature. Grassland provides vital ecosystem services like water and
climate regulation in support of agriculture, biogeochemical cycling, carbon storage, and cultural
and recreational service. Apart from the above ecosystem services it also plays a major role in
the livelihoods of all pastoral communities (White et al., 2000). Grasslands are important for
biodiversity conservation as they form critical habitat for a variety of wild herbivores and other
faunal groups for their breeding, migration and wintering (Rahmani, 2006; Verma and Prakash,
2007; Rawat and Adhikari, 2015).

6
 Literature Review

State of grassland and grassland associated avifauna around the world

Grasslands can be broadly classified into two types: temperate and tropical. Eurasian steppes,
North American prairies and Argentine pampas are example of temperate grasslands. Tropical
grasslands include the hot savannas of sub-Saharan Africa and northern Australia. In the world,
grasslands account for about 20 and 40 percent of the world’s land area (Panunzi, 2008).
Grasslands are present on all continents except Antarctica. Threats to natural grasslands, as well
as the wildlife that live on them, include farming, overgrazing, invasive species, illegal hunting,
and climate change. Still, only less than 10 percent of the world’s grasslands are protected
(IUCN WCPA).

There is evidence of decline in grassland associated bird in American prairies and Eurasian
steppes (Knopf, 1994; Henderson et. al., 2004). In North America, the decline of grassland birds
in the Great plains is associated with the removal of native grazers, plowing sod, draining
wetlands and encouraging woody vegetation (Knopf, 1994). Since the mid-1800s, it has been
estimated that loss of grassland ecosystems in most areas of North America has exceeded 80%
(Knopf 1994, Noss et al. 1995). This plight of grassland birds in North America is attributed to
afforestation, conversion of rangeland ecosystem to industrial silviculture and agricultural lands
(Knopf, 1994). The Hempstead plains on the east coast of America once had about 20,000 Ha of
open grassland when the British first colonized the place but since then only a fraction of the
prairie remains (Askins, 1999).

In Britain, the reduction of birds from lowland arable farmlands are a direct result of intensive
farming practices which reduces the habitat diversity and food availability (Henderson, 2004;
Fuller et al. 1995; Siriwardena et al. 1998). A widespread change in the composition of upland
grasslands across Britain is a result of overgrazing especially by sheep (Henderson, 2004; Fuller
& Gough 1999), and a greater production of silage rather than hay as food for livestock
(Henderson, 2004; Bunce et al. 1985; Smith & Jones 1991; Fuller et al. 2002). Remote habitats
have also become increasingly accessible to modern machinery, allowing sensitive habitats to
become vulnerable to a rapid transformation in floral composition (Henderson, 2004; Cooper et
al. 1997). In a study conducted by Dennis et. al., it is implicated that a reduction of arthropods

7
found in upland grasslands of Scotland is contributing to a reduction in the associated birds
(Dennis et. al., 2007).

State of grassland and grassland associated avifauna in India

In the Indian subcontinent grasslands are found in small pockets and are subjected to habitat
destruction. This makes them one of the most threatened habitats and consequently many bird
species found in grasslands are also considered threatened (Collar et. al., 1994; Baral et. al. 1996;
Grimmett et al., 1998). Therefore, subtropical grasslands in the Indian subcontinent are of
international significance for biodiversity (Baral, 2001; Collar 1996; Peet et al. 1999).

In India grasslands have broadly been classified into the following: coastal, riverine alluvial,
montane, sub-Himalayan tall grasslands, tropical savannas and wet grasslands (Chandran,2015).
In a study conducted by Javed and Rahmani, they found that the grassland and wooded grassland
in Dudwa National Park in Uttarakhand is home to 63 species of birds, out of which 8 percent
are threatened. For this study, they used transect method to record all the bird species of the
region. In this study they suggest burning as the best management practice for maintaining
grasslands but it should be done judiciously (Javed and Rahmani, 1998).

Habitat modelling
Specialist organisms require very specific habitats in order to survive. Habitat modelling is an
important tool used to design specific habitats favourable for each species. It has been recorded
that grassland birds are found in a range of habitat rather than being confined to one single
habitat. The reason for this, according to Baral is the limited extent of the grasslands and the
extreme variation in grass-species composition in those areas. In his thesis titled, “Community
structure and habitat associations of lowland grassland birds in Nepal,” Baral mentioned that to
explain the composition of bird communities, most important habitat variables are distance to
forest, soil moisture and species composition of the grassland community. According to him,
other contributing habitat variables may be grass height and grazing by wild animals (Baral,
2001).

MacKenzie and Royle, in their paper “Designing efficient occupancy studies: general advice and
tips on allocation of survey effort” suggested three types of sampling design for a single season

8
study: “standard design,” in which each site is surveyed the same number of times; “double‐
sampling design,” in which a subset of sites is surveyed multiple times and the remaining sites
are sampled only once; and “removal design,” in which sites are surveyed multiple times until
the target species is detected (Bailey et. al., 2007; MacKenzie and Royle, 2005). But their model
was based on a large sample and with the assumption that occupancy probability across all site is
the same. This does not hold true for my study so my study was designed for presence-only data.
The presence only data can be used to develop regression‐based models that can provide
predictions of the relative likelihood of occurrence, and in some situations, predictions of the
probability of occurrence (Pearce and Boyce, 2005).

9
Study objectives

The study was conducted to find out the following objectives:

1. To document the grassland and grassland associated birds.

2. To find out the habitat structure and composition of the region.
3. To find out the habitat suitability of three focal species: Black-breasted parrotbill
Paradoxornis flavirostris, Jerdon’s babbler Chrysomma altirotre and Indian grassbird
Graminicola bengalensi.

It was hypothesized that factors like grass height, distance from forest and species richness
would positively affect the detection probability of all three focal species. On the other hand,
factors like distance from water and threats would negatively impact detection probability.

10
 Study area and species

Study Area:
The D’Ering Wildlife Sanctuary is located 13 km from the town of Pasighat and is on the border
of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.

Field studies were conducted primarily in the southern part of East Siang district in the state of
Arunachal Pradesh. The surveys were done within the D’Ering wildlife Sanctuary and the
grasslands near the Raneghat bridge and Siku bridge. The study area covered the left bank of the
Siang river, south of Raneghat bridge till the point where the Siku river merged with the Siang
river. Both sides of the Siku bridge were surveyed. On the North a stretch of 1.5 km was
surveyed and, on the south, the entire area until the Siku river meets the Siang river was
surveyed. The Sanctuary is divided into three ranges: Borguli, Sibiyamukh and Anchal ghat. All
three ranges can only be accessed by sailing through the Siang river. A total of 30 islands were
surveyed. The total area covered was situated at an altitudinal range of 120-300 m above MSL.
The entire area falls in the Brahmaputra flood plain region. The temperature of this region ranges
from 12○ C in the winter to 31○ C in the summer. The annual average rainfall is about 4000 mm.
The vegetation of this area is classified as tropical semi-evergreen forests and riverine alluvial
grasslands.

Figure 1: Map of D’Ering Wildlife Sanctuary in Arunchal Pradesh

11
Study species:
In this study, there were three focal bird species: Black-breasted parrotbill Paradoxornis
flavirostris, Jerdon’s babbler Chrysomma altirostre, and Indian grassbird Graminicola
bengalensis. All three are listed in the IUCN Redlist of threatened species. The Black-breasted
parrotbill Paradoxornis flavirostris and Jerdon’s babbler Chrysomma altirostre both are listed as
vulnerable species and Indian grass-babbler Graminicola bengalensis is listed as near threatened
(IUCN, 2017).

• Black-breasted Parrotbill Paradoxornis flavirostris: This species is endemic to the

Indian subcontinent, where it is known from the plains and foothills of the Brahmaputra
valley in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, north-east India (BirdLife International 2001). It
inhabits dense reed thickets and mixed tall grassland (Phragmites karka and Arundo
donax grassland), predominantly on wet substrates, along lowland river floodplains and
adjacent hills, where it also occurs in grassy forest clearings (BirdLife International
2019).
• Jerdon’s Babbler Chrysomma altirostre: This species occurs in three disjunct
populations, along the River Indus and its tributaries in Pakistan, in the terai of Nepal,
and the Brahmaputra floodplain in north-east India (BirdLife International 2001). They
are found inhabiting tall grasslands and reedbeds. It prefers dense, contiguous,
undisturbed stands of grass and generally avoids drier, semi-open, short grassland habitat
with scattered bushes. It is unobtrusive and usually encountered in pairs or small groups
(BirdLife International 2019).
• Indian Grass-babbler Graminicola bengalensis: It occurs in the Terai region of
northern India and southern Nepal (BirdLife International 2019). Previously it was also
found in Bangladesh but the population there have been steadily declining (Collar and
Robson 2007). It occurs in tall (taller than 1 m) lowland wet grassland, reed-swamp and
other emergent vegetation in or bordering freshwater swamps or along banks of rivers in
lowlands (Baral et al. 2006).

12
 Methodology

Field Sampling Methods:

The grasslands within the sanctuary and outside the sanctuary was thoroughly surveyed. A total
of 30 islands were surveyed. The method used to survey grassland associated birds was using
point count method. A gap of at least 100m was maintained between each point. Spatial
replications were done within the study area. There were 2 observers on all days. The surveys
started in the morning at 0700h and terminated in the evening at 1600h. The study period lasted
from December 2018 to March 2019. Detections were based on visual identification and
identification of calls. All the birds were observed using an 8x42 A211 Nikon Aculon binoculars.
The birds were recorded using Nikon D300. Bird calls were cross-checked against online
database at http://www.xeno-canto.org/. Birds were identified using the Field guide, “Birds of
the Indian subcontinent (Grimmet et al., 2009). Their IUCN status was confirmed with
information available at https://www.iucnredlist.org/.

Covariates that influenced the occupancy of the focal species were included as site covariates.
The covariates included grass species, grass height, total number of each grass species present,
land type, distance from nearest water channel, distance from forest land, elevation, bare ground,
emergent vegetation and water content within the grassland. The habitat parameters were
surveyed using the quadrat method. A quadrat of 5 m by 5 m was employed. The grass height
was calculated following ocular estimation. Bare ground and emergent vegetation were noted in
percentage cover within each quadrat.

Data Analysis Methods:

All the data were analyzed in Microsoft Excel 2016. The program PRESENCE 2.12.17 was used
to derive maximum likelihood estimates of the model parameters. The derived parameters like
grass density, abundance, average height and height heterogeneity were calculated. The density
was calculated using the following formula:

Density= Total number of grass in a quadrat

Area of quadrat

13
The heterogeneity was calculated using the following formula:
Heterogeneity= Standard Deviation
Mean

Abundance of grass species was calculated using the following formula:

Abundance= Total number of individuals of one species
Total number of quadrats in which they occur

14
 Results

Observations of grassland and grassland associated birds:

A total of 69 species from 32 families and 13 orders were observed from the study area. Among
the species recorded, 11 species (5 near-threatened, 4 vulnerable, 1 endangered and 1 critically
endangered) are listed in the IUCN (2017). The Sibiamukh range has the highest species
richness. The following figure shows the total number of species belonging to each order. The
highest number of species (35) was observed belonging to the order Passeriformes.

No. of Species per order

40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0

Figure 2: Total no. of species in each order

All 69 species observed from the D’Ering Wildlife Sanctuary are listed in the following table
along with their IUCN status, migratory status and rarity. There were 14 migratory birds
observed from this region: Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea, Little ringed plover
Charadrius dubius, Ibisbill Ibidorhyncha struthersii, Black stork Ciconia nigra, Grey-backed
Shrike Lanius tephronotus, Citrine wagtail Motacilla citreola, Grey wagtail Motacilla cinereal,
Olive-backed pipit Anthus hodgsoni, White wagtail Motacilla alba, Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis,
Great White Egret Ardea alba, Grey heron Ardea cinereal, Eurasian wryneck Jynx torquilla, and
Great crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus (Rasmussen et al. 2012).

Bengal Florican: This critically endangered bird was recorded twice: both in the grasslands in
Sibiamukh range, once on 17 January, 2019, and once on 7 February, 2019. Both times a single
female was observed at the edge of the grasslands.

15
Swamp Prinia: This endangered bird was recorded from 16 islands within the Sanctuary
(Borguli and Sibiamukh ranges) and a total of 30 individuals were seen. Not more than two
individuals were observed at a time. This bird preferred to stay within the grasses and coming
out only for about 3 seconds.

Marsh Babbler: It was recorded from 5 islands in the Borguli range and a total of seven
individuals were heard. It is very hard to see this bird. Only once has it been seen and other times
it was identified based on its calls.

Black-breasted Parrotbill: This vulnerable bird was recorded from 16 islands both within the
sanctuary and outside. A total of 66 individuals were recorded. They seemed to prefer taller
grasses and on one occasion was also seen perched on a low branch. They are very vocal birds.

Jerdon’s Babbler: This bird was recorded from 19 islands from both inside and outside the
sanctuary. A total of 44 individuals were recorded. A maximum of four individuals were seen at
a time but mostly a single individual was observed.

Indian Grassbird: This bird was recorded from 14 islands from both inside and outside the
sanctuary. A total of 43 individuals were recorded. On most occasions a single individual was
observed at a point.

Swamp Francolin: This bird was recorded only once from Sibiamukh range on 8th February,
2019. A pair was observed crossing bare expanse of sand to go to the forest from one of the
island grasslands. Just prior to this, calls were heard from both the forest and the grassland.

Great Thick-knee: This bird was recorded once from Sibiamukh range on 6th February, 2019.
Only one individual was seen.

River Lapwing: This bird was seen twice, both from Borguli range. For both sightings a single
bird was observed in flight. They were flying very low, close to the river bank.

River Tern: This bird was observed 5 times flying approximately at about 3m above the water.
It was only observed in the Borguli range of the Sancturay.

Black-necked Stork: It was observed once on 8th February, 2019. A pair was observed walking
on the exposed sand beds very close to the water.

16
Sl. IUCN Migratory
English Name Scientific Name Rarity
No. Status Status
Accipitriformes/Accipitridae
1 Elanus caeruleus LC Common
Black-winged kite
2 Crested serpent eagle Spilornis cheela LC Common
3 Griffon Gyps fulvus LC Common
Pernis
4 Oriental Honey-buzzard LC Common
ptilorhynchus
Haliaeetus
5 White-tailed eagle LC Uncommon
albicilla
Anseriformes/Anatidae Dendrocygna
6 LC Uncommon
Fulvous whistling duck bicolor
Mergus
7 Common Merganser LC Uncommon
merganser
Tadorna
8 Ruddy Shelduck LC Yes Common
ferruginea
Caprimulgiformes/Apodidae Cypsiurus
9 LC Common
Asian palm swift balasiensis
Charadriiformes/Burhinidae Esacus
10 NT Rare
Great thick-knee recurvirostris
Charadriiformes/Charadriidae Charadrius
11 LC Yes Common
Little ringed plover dubius
Vanellus
12 Red-wattled lapwing LC Uncommon
duvaucelii
Vanellus
13 River lapwing NT Uncommon
duvaucelii
Charadriiformes/Ibidorhynchidae Ibidorhyncha
14 LC Yes Rare
Ibisbill struthersii
Charadriiformes/Laridae
15 Sterna aurantia NT Common
River tern

17
 Ciconiiformes/Ciconiidae Anastomus
16 LC Common
Asian Openbill oscitans
17 Black stork Ciconia nigra LC Yes Rare
Ephippiorhynchus
18 Black-necked stork NT Common
asiaticus
Coraciiformes/Alcedinidae
19 Ceryle rudis LC Common
Pied Kingfisher
Halcyon
20 White-breasted Kingfisher LC Common
smyrnensis
Coraciiformes/Coraciidae Coracias
21 LC Common
Indian roller benghalensis
Galliformes/Phasianidae
22 Gallus gallus LC Common
Red Junglefowl
Francolinus
23 Swamp francolin VU Rare
gularis
Otidiformes/Otididae Houbaropsis
24 CR Uncommon
Bengal Florican bengalensis
Passeriformes/Alaudidae
25 Mirafra assamica LC Common
Bengal Bushlark
26 Oriental Skylark Alauda gulgula LC Common
Passeriformes/Cisticolidae
27 Cisticola exilis LC Common
Golden-headed cisticola
28 Graceful Prinia Prinia gracilis LC Common
29 Grey-breasted Prinia Prinia hodgsonii LC Common
30 Plain Prinia Prinia inornata LC Common
31 Yellow-bellied prinia Prinia flaviventris LC Common
32 Zitting cisticola Cisticola juncidis LC Common
Passeriformes/Estrildidae Amandava
33 LC Uncommon
Red avadavat amandava
Lonchura
34 Scaly-breasted munia LC Common
punctulata

18
 Passeriformes/Laniidae Lanius
35 LC Yes Common
Grey-backed Shrike tephronotus
36 Long-tailed shrike Lanius schach LC Common
Passeriformes/Leiotrichidae
37 Turdoides striata LC Common
Jungle Babbler
38 Striated Babbler Argya earlei LC Common
Passeriformes/Locustellidae Megalurus
39 LC Uncommon
Striated grassbird palustris
Passeriformes/Motacillidae
40 Motacilla citreola LC Yes Common
Citrine wagtail
41 Grey wagtail Motacilla cinerea LC Yes Common
42 Olive-backed pipit Anthus hodgsoni LC Yes Common
43 Paddyfield pipit Anthus rufulus LC Common
44 White wagtail Motacilla alba LC Yes Common
Passeriformes/Muscicapidae Saxicola
45 LC Common
Common Stonechat torquatus
Passeriformes/Passeridae
46 Passer montanus LC Common
Eurasian treesparrow
Passeriformes/Pellorneidae Graminicola
47 NT Common
Indian grassbird bengalensis
Pellorneum
48 Marsh Babbler VU Rare
palustre
Laticilla
49 Swamp Grass-babbler EN Common
cinerascens
Passeriformes/Phylloscopidae Phylloscopus
50 LC Common
Greenish warbler trochiloides
Passeriformes/Ploceidae Ploceus
51 LC Common
Baya Weaver philippinus
52 Streaked weaver Ploceus manyar LC Uncommon
Passeriformes/Pycnonotidae Hypsipetes
53 LC Common
Black bulbul leucocephalus

19
54 Red-vented bulbul Pycnonotus cafer LC Common
Pycnonotus
55 Red-whiskered bulbul LC Common
jocosus
Passeriformes/Sturnidae
56 Gracupica contra LC Common
Asian Pied starling
Passeriformes/Sylviidae Paradoxornis
57 VU Common
Black-breasted Parrotbill flavirostris
Chrysomma
58 Jerdon's Babbler VU Common
altirostre
Passeriformes/Timaliidae
59 Timalia pileata LC Common
Chestnut-capped Babbler
Pelecaniformes/Ardeidae
60 Bubulcus ibis LC Yes Common
Cattle Egret
61 Great White Egret Ardea alba LC Yes Uncommon
62 Grey heron Ardea cinerea LC Yes Uncommon
63 Intermediate egret Ardea intermedia LC Common
64 Little egret Egretta garzetta LC Common
65 Striated heron Butorides striata LC Rare
Piciformes/Picidae
66 Jynx torquilla LC Yes Rare
Eurasian wryneck
Podicipediformes/Podicipedidae Podiceps
67 LC Yes Uncommon
Great crested Grebe cristatus
Suliformes/Phalacrocoracidae Phalacrocorax
68 LC Common
Indian cormorant fuscicollis
69 Little cormorant Microcarbo niger LC Common
Table 1: Checklist of grassland and grassland associated birds of D’Ering Wildlife Sanctuary

20
Habitat structure and composition
In the study area it was found that there is formation of primary grassland habitat closer to the
river. It gives way to secondary riverine tree vegetation as one moves farther from the river. The
grasslands were composed of mainly the following six species of grasses: Sachharum
spontaneum, Phragmites karka, Arundo donax, Imperata cylindrica, Vetiveria zizanoides and
Typha elephantina. The maximum species richness for an island is six and the average species
richness per island is two. While on most islands (26 islands) the land was dry, some had wet
grounds. On five islands the ground was covered with big rocks. The average grass height of
most islands (16) were between 1.5m to 2.0m.

Average grass
height for each island
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
0.5-1.0 1.0-1.5 1.5-2.0 2.0-2.5 2.5-3.0 >3.0

Figure 3: Average grass height for each island

The average grass density of the 30 islands studied is 3.62175392 grass per m2 and the average
grass height across the 30 islands is 1.6596 m. In figure 2 it is seen that maximum islands (16)
had grass height ranging between 1.5 m to 2.0 m. The species richness in each island is depicted
in figure 3. It is seen that maximum islands (16) has a species richness of 2. Out of the 30 islands
surveyed only 2 islands had monoculture. All the other islands had at least 2 or more types of
grass growing on them.

21
 Species richness per island
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
1 2 3 4 5 6

No. of Islands

Figure 4: Species richness for each island

Within the grassland there were trees present. The most common tree present within the
grassland is Tamarix dioiaca. On an average there were 12.76 % emergent vegetation within the
grasslands. Mammals associated with these grasslands include elephants, leopards, sambar deer,
barking deer, hog deer, water buffalo and hare.

People from nearby villages collect specific grasses for their own purposes. The grass Imperata
cylindrica is collected for building thatches and the grass Typha elephantina is used to make rugs
to keep warm in winters. Other anthropogenic factors affecting the growth of these grasslands
include setting the grasslands on fire without a proper system, letting livestock graze, sand and
rock mining, and hunting.

22
Habitat modelling for three focal species: Black-breasted Parrotbill, Jerdon’s
Babbler and Indian Grass Babbler

Table 2: Summary statistics of candidate model performed and contribution of covariates for site
occupancy (and SE) of black-breasted parrotbill, D’ering Sanctuary, India. Results are ranked
based on AIC values of models with ΔAIC (AIC – min AIC), AIC model weight (wi) and number
of parameters (k).
Model ψ SE AIC ΔAIC wi k
ψ( SR +AD + Tree_T + VZ) 0.456497 0.023693 153.85 0 0.2715 6
ψ( SR+AD+Tree_T) 0.450617 0.016847 154.04 0.19 0.2469 5
ψ(AD+ SR+ DistW + Tree_T) 0.448027 0.017753 154.7 0.85 0.1775 6
ψ(SR+AD+Tree_T+Pk) 0.451467 0.019093 155.94 2.09 0.0955 6
ψ(AD+SR) 0.45367 0.015973 156.38 2.53 0.0766 4
ψ(AD+SR+DistW) 0.45654 0.020487 157.59 3.74 0.0718 5
ψ(SR+AD+Threats) 0.453567 0.018503 158.36 4.51 0.0285 5
ψ(SR+AD+M_Ht) 0.453607 0.01841 158.36 4.51 0.0285 5
ψ(SR+VZ+Tree_T) 0.469113 0.02959 160.35 6.5 0.0105 5
ψ(SR+VZ+Tree_T+DistW) 0.45694 0.02705 161.25 7.4 0.0067 6
ψ(SR+M_Ht+DistW+Tree_T) 0.458407 0.026483 162.35 8.5 0.0039 6
ψ(M_Ht+DistW+SR+VZ+Tree_T) 0.456303 0.027603 163.1 9.25 0.0027 7
ψ(AD+M_Ht+DistW+Threats) 0.45828 0.025143 163.35 9.5 0.0023 6
ψ(DistW+SR) 0.47267 0.03176 164.17 10.32 0.0016 4
ψ(M_Ht+Tree_T+DistW+Den+SR) 0.457537 0.027563 164.33 10.48 0.0014 7
ψ(SS+PK+IC+TE+AD) 0.45934 0.02802 164.38 10.53 0.0014 7
ψ(.) 0.480073 0.02712 164.83 10.98 0.0011 2
SR species richness, AD Arundo donax, Tree_T total trees found in grasslands, VZ Vetiveria
zizanoides, DistW distance from nearest water channel, PK Phragmites karka, M_Ht mean
grass height, Den density, SS Saccharum spontaneum, IC Imperata cylindrica, TE Typha
elephantina.
In table 2 it is clearly seen that the best model to explain detection probability of black-breasted
parrotbill is the first model that has taken into consideration the habitat parameters such as
species richness, average Arundo donax count per quadrat, total number of tree and average
Vetiveria zizanoide count per quadrat. The occupancy (ψ) remains almost constant across all the
models. The most influential habitat parameter is the presence of Arundo donax grass species.
The factors that negatively affect presence of black-breasted parrotbill are number of trees
present in the grassland and distance from water.

23
 The findings for this was consistent with the a priori hypothesis that average height of grasses,
distance from the forest and species richness would positively affect the presence of this bird,
and distance from water, number of trees present in the grassland and threats would negatively
affect the presence of this bird. Although it was true the height of grass and threats did not have
very strong effect on the presence of black-breasted parrotbill.

Table 3: Summary statistics of candidate model performed and contribution of covariates for site
occupancy (and SE) of Jerdon’s babbler, D’ering Sanctuary, India. Results are ranked based on
AIC values of models with ΔAIC (AIC – min AIC), AIC model weight (wi) and number of
parameters (k).
Model ψ SE AIC ΔAIC wi k
ψ(Ss) 0.74901 0.0535 227.9 0 0.3203 3
ψ(SS+SR+Distw+Tree_T) 0.68612 0.024157 228.87 0.97 0.1972 6
ψ(SS+SR+DistW) 0.695557 0.026757 229.16 1.26 0.1706 5
ψ(Ss+SR+DistW+Den) 0.697983 0.034007 230.61 2.71 0.0826 6
ψ(SS+SR+DistW+Threats) 0.698483 0.036743 230.97 3.07 0.069 6
ψ(SS+DistF+Tree_T) 0.77022 0.008083 231.21 3.31 0.0612 5
ψ(SS+SR+DistF+Tree_T) 0.717087 0.041103 232.07 4.17 0.0398 6
ψ(SS+SR+Den+Tree_T) 0.715987 0.04302 232.61 4.71 0.0304 6
ψ(SR+M_Ht+G_het+DistF+DistW+Tree_T+Fire+colle+threats+den) 0.733333 0 234.21 6.31 0.0137 12
ψ(Te) 0.716007 0.029817 236.53 8.63 0.0043 3
ψ(Pk) 0.766197 0.019253 237.09 9.19 0.0032 3
ψ(Vz) 0.730207 0.03484 237.25 9.35 0.003 3
ψ(SR) 0.720613 0.034143 238.66 10.76 0.0015 3
ψ(.) 0.73525 0.034453 238.9 11 0.0013 2
SR species richness, AD Arundo donax, Tree_T total trees found in grasslands, VZ Vetiveria
zizanoides, DistW distance from nearest water channel, Dist_F Distance from forest, PK
Phragmites karka, M_Ht mean grass height, Den density, SS Saccharum spontaneum, IC
Imperata cylindrica, TE Typha elephantina, G_Het grass heterogeneity, fire, colle collection of
grass.
According to table 3, the covariate that best explains the presence of Jerdon’s babbler is the
presence of Saccharum spontaneum model which has the highest model weight (wi=0.3203) and
lowest ΔAIC. It is seen that Saccharum spontaneum negatively affects the presence of Jerdon’s
babbler, that is, they do not prefer grasslands where Saccharum spontaneum is dominated.
Covariates that positively affected presence of Jerdon’s babbler are species richness, distance
from forest and distance from water. Covariates that negatively affected the presence of Jerdon’s
babbler are number of trees within the grassland, threats, density and height heterogeneity.

24
 The findings were not entirely as predicted in the a priori hypothesis. The distance from water
did not negatively impact the presence of Jerdon’s babbler as expected. But the rest was
consistent with the a priori hypothesis.

Table 4: Summary statistics of candidate model performed and contribution of covariates for site
occupancy (and SE) of Indian grass babbler, D’ering Sanctuary, India. Results are ranked based
on AIC values of models with ΔAIC (AIC – min AIC), AIC model weight (wi) and number of
parameters (k).
Model ψ SE AIC ΔAIC wi k
ψ(TE+SR+DistF) 0.432033 0.028597 145.28 0 0.2625 5
ψ(SR+DistF+M_Ht) 0.434173 0.033657 146.65 1.37 0.1323 5
ψ(DistF+DistW+Den) 0.435853 0.039577 146.68 1.4 0.1304 5
ψ(IC+SR+DistF) 0.43315 0.03389 146.88 1.6 0.118 5
ψ(DistF+DistW+SR) 0.434077 0.036057 146.91 1.63 0.1162 5
ψ(DistF+DistW+Tree_T) 0.436187 0.037717 146.99 1.71 0.1117 5
ψ(SR+M_Ht+DistF+DistW+Tree_T+Fire+Collection+Den+Threats) 0.436303 0.0437 148.49 3.21 0.0527 11
ψ(SR+DistF+Den+Tree_T) 0.433263 0.03378 148.6 3.32 0.0499 6
ψ(.) 0.451773 0.032273 151.04 5.76 0.0147 2
SR species richness, Tree_T total trees found in grasslands, DistW distance from nearest water
channel, Dist_F Distance from forest, M_Ht mean grass height, Den density, IC Imperata
cylindrica, TE Typha elephantina, colle collection of grass.
According to table 4 the covariates that best explain the presence of Indian grass babbler are
species richness, distance from forest and the occurrence of the grass Typha elephantina. All the
factors have a positive effect on the occurrence of Indian grass babbler. The only covariate that
had a negative impact on Indian grass babbler’s occurrence within the grassland is the number of
trees present in the grassland.

The findings were consistent with the a priori hypothesis for positively affecting covariates but
not for all the negatively affecting covariates. Only the number of trees present within the
grassland had a negative impact as predicted.

25
 Discussion

Previously, work on the three focal species has been restricted to estimating their threatened
status. Only for Indian grass babbler which was previously called Rufous-rumped grass warbler a
study has been conducted to estimate the status, distribution and ecology of said species in Nepal
(Baral et. al., 2006). The present study, for the first time describes the specific habitats preferred
by each bird. The black-breasted parrotbill is likely to be found in an Arundo donax dominated
grassland with minimal number of trees and closer to water channels. In Records of Black-
breasted Parrotbill Paradoxornis flavirostris from Manas National Park by A. Choudhury the
black-breasted parrotbills were also observed in an Arundo donax dominated grassland
(Choudhury, 2011). The Jerdon’s babbler is likely to be found in a mixed grassland which does
not have Saccharum spontaneum with less trees growing within the grassland and farther from
water channels. The Indian grass babbler is likely to be found in mixed grassland which is
dominated by Typha elephantina and which is far away from forest lands. I have come to this
conclusion only based on the given study. Since the sample size is very small (only 30 islands) it
cannot be generalized for larger areas.

The grasslands require proper management in order to prevent conversion to forestland.

Generally, fire is considered a good management practice. But the burning should be done in a
systematic manner and avoid breeding seasons of animals depending specifically on these
habitats (Javed and Rahmani, 1998). Grazing also poses a threat to these birds as it increases
vulnerability of eggs and young to predators and trampling (Henderson et. al., 2004; Fuller &
Gough 1999; Grant et al. 1999).

There are other parameters that may influence the presence of these birds is the bird composition
within the grassland. Their population may also vary seasonally, especially during the monsoons
when most of the grasslands becomes inundated. These can be looked into in future.

26
 Plate 1: Black-breasted parrotbill Plate 2: White Wagtail

Plate 3: Yellow-bellied Prinia Plate 4: Black-necked stork

27
Plate 5: Collection of grass for thatch making purpose

Plate 6: Burning of grasslands

28
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