Habitat ecology and management of Rose-ringed Parakeet (Psittacula krameri) in central plain and sub-mountainous undulating zones of Punjab
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Date
2019
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Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana
Abstract
Birds have a special place in human science and culture: they capture our hearts, arouse our curiosities, and inspire a sense of wonder. We may revel in the diversity and simple beauty of their forms, but birds also fuel fascinations that drive us towards deeper scientific inquiries into their varied ways of life. The Rose-ringed Parakeet (Psittacula krameri) is commonly known as a parrot and belongs to the family Psittacidae and order Psittaciformes. It is considered to be the worst avian pest throughout the Indian subcontinent. The present study was carried in central plain and sub-mountainous undulating zones of Punjab, aimed at feeding and roosting behaviour, assessment of damage caused to sunflower, maize and guava, evaluation of different management methods, estimation of the pesticide residues and heavy metals in feathers and fecal pellets of Rose-ringed Parakeet. The parakeets foraged in these crops in two sessions, each separated by a period of inactivity in the afternoon. The morning-forenoon sessions on an average lasted for 157 to 175 minutes for different crop while as afternoon-evening session lasted for 155 to 175 minutes. The average number of parakeets during morning-forenoon and afternoon-evening session in the sunflower varied between 33 to 178, in maize between 3 to 195 and guava 8 to 154. The morning-forenoon session started after 40 to 50 minutes for sunflower, 41 to 51 minutes for maize and 22 to 64 minutes for guava, while as the afternoon-evening session ended 16 to 17 minutes for sunflower, 25 to 27 minutes for maize and 21 to 29 minutes for guava before the sunset. The parakeets roost on the tall and old trees (Eucalyptus, Poplar and Acacia) at both the locations. The first early morning departure was recorded to take place a few minutes to 84 minutes before sunrise. The number of departing parakeets generally declined before sunrise, past which the number of parakeets returning to the roost casually increased. The damage caused to the control sunflower crop ranged from 5.8 to 19%. The average damage caused to the sunflower fields covered with the reflective ribbons, shining plates, CDs, scare crow was 0.7 to 4.5%, 0.9 to 5.20 %, 1.20 to 9.70% and 0.60 to 8.00%. The damage caused to the control maize fields ranged from 9.5 to 29.5% while as reflective ribbon installed fields have a damage in range of 4 to 12.5%. Guava had a damage of 14.69 to 16.76 % in control fields while as reflective ribbon installed fields have a damage of 5.67 to 8.51%. Ripened fruits were more preferred and the top canopy of trees was more affected. The pesticides viz. chlorpyriphos, triazophos were found to be present in concentrations of range 0.02-1.61 ppm. 0.02-3.08 ppm respectively and ethion (2.141 ppm). The Heavy metals were in the descending concentrations in the order: Zinc (Zn), Manganese (Mn), Copper (Cu), Lead (Pb), Chromium (Cr), Arsenic (As), and Cadmium (Cd). Cr, Cu and Mn was found above the threshold level at both the locations. The results of this study will contribute to environmental management at both the locations.
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