Avifaunal Diversity of Topchanchi Wildlife Sanctuary (IBA), including Topchanchi Lake and Conservation Threats, District Dhanbad, Jharkhand, India

Satya Prakash, Rajeev Ranjan, Murari Singh, Amit Jain, Prabhat Thakur, Anil Kumar Mishra, Nirmala Kumari

Abstract: The present study was conducted in the Topchanchi Wildlife Sanctuary (TWLS), which includes Topchanchi Lake, identified as an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) situated in Dhanbad district, Jharkhand, India. A total of 184 species of birds belonging to 17 orders and 61 families were recorded. Among the recorded species, 121 species (66%) were resident (R), 42 species (23%) were migratory (M), 18 species (10%) were resident and migrant (RM), 2 species (1%) were summer migrants (SM), and 1 species (0.54%) was a passage migrant (PM). Among the total recorded species, 50 species (27%) were water birds (WB), 17 species (9%) were wetland-dependent birds (WDB), and the remaining 117 (64%) species were other birds (O). A total of 22 restricted assemblage species of Biome 11 (Indo-Malayan Tropical Dry Zone), 9 globally threatened (IUCN Red List) species, and 19 Schedule I species, as per The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (amended, 2022), were documented. Conservation threats include the collection of molluscs by a large number of villagers, unregulated fishing, excess tourism, deforestation, soil erosion, hunting, and poaching. The Sanctuary holds significance due to its rich historical past and the presence of a diverse array of avifauna, as well as other fauna. If protected and groomed, it has the potential to become a "Bird Paradise" and a haven for other wildlife as well.

Keywords: Avifauna, Diversity, Wildlife, Topchanchi, Sanctuary, Dhanbad