Browsing by Author "Hathurusinghe, D."

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    Assessment of Avifaunal Diversity in a Municipal Waste dumping site: A case study from Karadiyana, Sri Lanka
    (Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2020) Gunawardena, M.P.; Hathurusinghe, D.; Madurasinghe, E.H.D.D.M.; Dompage, D.M.
    Waste disposal sites have become factitious feeding sites for some avifauna, especially in the urban and suburban ecosystems. Tentatively these sites are assumed not only to provide the organic food sources but also refuge to different prey species such as invertebrates and small mammals for the avifauna composed of different feeding requirements. As a consequence of this rich and easy food availability, a significant number of bird species are assumed to be allured to these dumping grounds. On account of this phenomenon, a study was designed to ascertain the bird species diversity at Karadiyana in the Colombo District, of the western province of Sri Lanka to assess the overall avifaunal diversity and abundance. Two different habitat types viz. Drainage channel along with terrestrial land habitat and dumping area habitat were studied using variable plot count method. Two plots were allocated to each of the habitats with equal intervals between the two stations respectively. Bird species were observed within 50 m either side were recorded twice per day, 6.30-8.30 h and 15.00- 17.00 h., from January to May 2019. A total of 2586 individuals belonging to 18 species, 14 families, and 8 orders were recorded in an area of 10.12 ha. For the Simpson’s index and Shannon diversity index, 0.86/2.08 and 0.74/1.44 were obtained for the two habitats respectively. The most dominant bird species recorded were the House Crow (Corvus splendens) and Blackheaded ibis (Threskiornis melanocephalus) with relative abundances of 34.1% and 28.5%. The least abundant bird species recorded was Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos). The abundance of certain bird species is very high and therefore causes overpopulation, which causes a threat to other avifauna in the area. Therefore, proper management practices should be implemented on direct and open dumping of waste in urban ecosystems to control the indirect impacts of the adjacent wildlife communities. . Keywords: Karadiyana, Avifauna, Waste dumping, Diversity, Shannon diversity
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    Preliminary Survey on Avifaunal Diversity in a Suburban Ecosystem: Nadeniya Estate, Kandy, Sri Lanka
    (Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2020) Gunawardena, M.P.; Hathurusinghe, D.; Chandrasekara, T.A.; Madurasinghe, E.H.D.D.M.
    The rapidly expanding human population in Sri Lanka has ensued in the reduction of natural habitats which have been converted to human settlements such as industrial sites, agricultural lands, and other infrastructure development. In consequence of these events, the avifauna is forced to ensure their survival by adapting themselves to human-altered settlements like home gardens, plantations, and estates. Therefore, a study was designed to ascertain the avifaunal diversity and abundance: Nadeniya Estate alias Yakange Watta (3.237km2 ) situated at Kiriwaula of Udunuwara in the Kandy district, Central Province (N 7°15'19" E 80°32'41"), to assess the contribution of suburban habitats for the conservation of avifaunal species. Two different habitat types’ viz. Tea plantation habitat and home garden habitat were studied using 600 m transects, and bird species within 50 m either side were recorded two times per day, in the morning (6.00-09.00 h) and the evening (16.00-18.00 h), within a period of 5 months from August to December 2019. A total of 480 birds belonging to 33 species, 25 families, and 9 orders were recorded within the area. The Simpson’s index and Shannon diversity index were 0.97/2.61, and 0.99/2.78 in the tea plantation habitat and home garden habitat respectively. The most dominant species recorded were the House crow (Corvus splendens), Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis), and Red-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer cafer), with a relative abundance of 10.81, 11.52, and 11.24% respectively. The least recorded species was the Velvet-fronted Nuthatch (Sitta frontalis) with a relative abundance of 0.22%. According to the results, it is evident that more anthropogenic activities have influenced the avifaunal diversity. Alternatively, garden and forest birds were also recorded in the area. Therefore, proper management of the land use is recommended for sustainable conservation of the suburban ecosystems. Keywords: Avifauna, Diversity, Ecosystem, Suburban, Nadeniya Estate