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International Journal of Zoology and Applied Biosciences Research Article
Avian diversity and conservation significance of Gatehara bird field in Kalol, Gandhinagar, Gujarat: An assessment of species diversity, population status and biodiversity indices.
Raj Dilip Odedra, Kaid Johar SR and Jayanti R. Prajapati
Year : 2026 | Volume: 11 | Issue: 1 | Pages: 186-199
Received on: 22/10/2025
Revised on: 29/11/2025
Accepted on: 24/12/2025
Published on: 01/01/2026
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Raj Dilip Odedra, Kaid Johar SR and Jayanti R. Prajapati( 2026).
Avian diversity and conservation significance of Gatehara bird field in Kalol, Gandhinagar, Gujarat: An assessment of species diversity, population status and biodiversity indices.
. International Journal of Zoology and Applied Biosciences, 11( 1), 186-199.
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Abstract
Wetlands are a cornerstone habitat for avian biodiversity, especially in current landscapes where concrete jungles are ever-expanding and replacing other natural habitats. Gatehara Bird field is one such wetland located in Kalol, Gandhinagar, that supports a healthy population and diversity of birds, showing its importance for avian conservation and ecological health. A systematic survey recorded 173 species of birds belonging to 54 different families, with an estimated total abundance of around 29,036 individuals. The wetland supports significant populations of 13 species of high conservation priority as mentioned in the State of India’s Bird Report 2023. The avian community exhibits a value of 0.9594 on Simpson’s Index 1-D and a Shannon-Weiner diversity Index (H) value of 3.704, showing high avian diversity and richness, along with Evenness (e^H/S) of 0.2347. The site is critical for migratory waterbirds, with winter migrants forming a substantial portion of the community dependent on the wetland for food, nesting and as a stop/satellite wetland during their migration journey. The site supports a significant population and diversity of species facing global decline in their numbers, 43.4% of species found here are facing a global decline in population trends. The site acts as a crucial node within the Central Asian Flyway, supporting a massive congregation of waders like Bar-tailed Godwit, Black-winged stilt, Sandpipers, Shanks etc. The study establishes Gatehara bird-field as a wetland of state and national importance when compared to Ramsar sites like Thol Lake Sanctuary and Nal Sarovar Bird Sanctuary, and other stop-over sites Like Pariyej, Chhari Dhandh, Chhaya Rann wetlands in Gujarat. This study and comparison with other wetlands highlight the importance of Gatehara for the rich local as well as migratory avifauna critical need for its immediate formal protection and safeguard of its rich biodiversity against escalating anthropogenic pollution and threats.
Keywords
Avian Diversity, Population Guild, IUCN Red List, Population trend, Biodiversity Indices.
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© The Author(s) 2025. This article is published by International Journal of Zoology and Applied Biosciences under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (creativecommons.org), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
