Birdlife And Plant Diversity Of Jhalana Leopard Safari Park, Jaipur: Insights On Distribution And Conservation

Abstract

A research was done to assess the avian biodiversity along the Jhalana Forest roadside, in close proximity to the Jagatpura Flyover in Jaipur. The study was conducted for duration of one year, spanning from January, 2023 to Febraury, 2024. The intensity and frequency of human-animal conflicts has escalated in recent decades due to the exponential increase in the human population over the past century and the subsequent encroachment of human activities on wilderness areas. Jhalana Forest Reserve (JFR) presents the characteristics of island biogeography in the heart of Jaipur, which is a city of 3.1 million people.  The comprehensive checklist of birds given here consists of 218 species recorded from the Sanctuary belonging to 72 families. Out of which 13 species are common resident, 6 are not common passage migrant, 48 not common resident, 7 not common summer visitor, 30 not common winter visitor, 1 common passage migrant, 7 common winter visitor, 1 locally common passage migrant, 82 locally common resident,4 locally common summer visitor,17 locally common winter visitor and 2 vagrant species. 29 Family show the lowest representation with only one species each. Family Accipitridae shows the highest number of representatives of 16 species in the area. Species like, Indian Pitta (Pitta brachyuran) migrate to the area only during their breeding season, i.e. in monsoon. The list consists of 9 species listed in the IUCN threatened list, and 4 endemics. Jhalana covers an expanse of 20 square km. The Rajasthan Forest Department officially designated Jhalana as a Leopard Reserve in 2017. Jhalana was inaugurated for public visitation in December 2016. The Jhalana forest harbors a wide variety of trees, which may play a crucial role in the proliferation of bird species.