Comparison of Avian Niche Communities between Agricultural and Peri-urban Landscapes of Nankana Sahib and Hafizabad

Avian Niche Communities between Agricultural and Peri-urban Landscapes

Abstract

This comparative field study was conducted in the Nankana Sahib and Hafizabad districts in Punjab, Pakistan, between October 2024 and January 2025. Objectives: To study the avian community structure in both agricultural and peri-urban environments to determine the impact of land-use changes on biodiversity. Methods: The surveys were conducted during dawn and dusk. The point count method was employed to record avian diversity. Results: Systematic surveys provided the records of thirty-two avian species that belonged to ten orders and twenty-four families, Passeriformes being the most numerically dominant taxonomic group. Compared to the monocultural agricultural settings of Hafizabad (Shannon Wiener=2.881; Simpson=0.918), Nankana Sahib, a peri-urban heterogeneous setting, had a greater richness of species and a higher diversity index (Shannon Wiener=3.078; Simpson=0.936). Functional guild analysis revealed that Nankana Sahib has a higher guild structure that includes nectarivores and omnivores, and Hafizabad has an insectivore and granivore composition, presumably due to intensive farming activities. The low Pearson correlation (r = 0.177) of the two sites reflects the unequal community structures, which can be explained by the unequal land-use regimes. Conclusions: The results thus indicate the ecological trade-offs of urbanization and agricultural intensification, and the need to conserve sites specific to avian biodiversity, i.e., restore habitat, use less pesticides, and maintain ecosystem services in the agroecosystems of Punjab.