Diversity and Abundance of Birds at Guddu Barrage, Pakistan
Sohaib Farid, Muhammad Sajid Nadeem, Amjad Rashid Kayani, Tariq Mahmood and Muhammad Mushtaq
SUMMARY
The rivers of Pakistan have many dams and barrages with limited public access, which provides more protection to the birds. Guddu Barrage is one of the most important wetlands for migratory and resident bird species on the Indus River in the trans-boundary region of the Punjab, Sindh, and Balochistan provinces. Generally, the area is neglected by researchers; therefore, the present study is designed to record the diversity and relative abundance of resident as well as migratory birds at Guddu Barrage and its surroundings. A total of 15,174 birds from 83 species belonging to 16 orders and 36 families were recorded at Guddu Barrage from July 2021 to August 2022. The Shannon-Wiener diversity index was calculated as H’ = 3.62. Threatened species included the Egyptian Vulture (EN), Common Poacher (VU), River Tern (VU), Spotted Eagle (VU), and Ferruginous Duck (NT). The highest relative abundance was recorded for the House Crow, Bank Myna, River Tern, and Jungle Babbler, while the Sindh Jungle Sparrow, Common Crane, Little Ringed Plover, and Egyptian Vulture were observed with the lowest relative abundance. Important migratory birds included cranes, ducks, pintails, sandpipers, teals, gulls, and terns. Among prey birds, the Marsh Harrier, Long-legged Buzzard, Black-winged Kite, Brahminy Kite, and Black Kite were observed. This study provides baseline data about bird diversity at Guddu Barrage that will be helpful for further studies and conservation of species in the future.
Keywords: Indus River, Guddu, Dams, Barrage
Citation: Farid, S., M. S. Nadeem, A. R. Kayani, T. Mahmood, and M. Mushtaq. 2026. Diversity and Abundance of Birds at Guddu Barrage, Pakistan. Journal of Wildlife and Ecology. 10: 1-13. doi.org/10.66470/10101