Bird diversity and breeding status at Nakol Union under Magura District of Bangladesh

Copyright © ISRG Publishers. All rights Reserved. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17367561 9 ISRG PUBLISHERS Abbreviated Key Title: ISRG. J. Agri.Vet.Sci. ISSN: 3048-8869 (Online) Journal homepage: https://isrgpublishers.com/gjavs/ Volume – II Issue -V (September-October) 2025 Frequency: Bimonthly Bird diversity and breeding status at Nakol Union under Magura District of Bangladesh Ashraful Kabir1*, Ataur Rahman2, Mobin Uz Zaman3 1* Department of Biology, Cantonment Public College, Saidpur Cantonment―5311, Nilphamari, Bangladesh 2 Department of Botany, Saidpur Government Science College, Nilphamari, Bangladesh 3 Primary Training Institute, Nilphamari, Bangladesh | Received: 09.10.2025 | Accepted: 15.10.2025 | Published: 16.10.2025 *Corresponding author: Ashraful Kabir Department of Biology, Cantonment Public College, Saidpur Cantonment―5311, Nilphamari, Bangladesh Introduction Nakol Union is a significant place with 20 other villages and 16 mouzas of Bangladesh (Fig. 1). This union has an area of 19.28 km2 with 23°19'57"N and 89°17'23"E coordinates. The average highest temperature is 34.4 °C and the lowest is 26.7 °C. It is consisted some other villages like Kashiara, Kamlapur, Modhupur, and Radhanagar. Little urbanization is a common scenario in this area, and is alarming to sustain avian species. Urbanization effects on the animal population (Gregory et al. 2004). Huge trees of the northern side and ‘Gorai River’ at the east side plays a significant role for foraging many birds. Inside Nakol Primary School there is a big banyan tree Abstract Nakol Union of Bangladesh could be a better green place to observe avian population. Descriptive analysis and correlation helped to mention the present status of avian diversity and breeding patterns at Nakol Union, based on data from 14 avian orders comprising 35 families and 61 species. Results revealed strong positive correlations between the number of families, species, and breeding species (r > 0.95). This indicates that higher taxonomic diversity is directly associated with greater breeding richness. Overall findings highlighted that conservation strategies should prioritize diverse avian orders such as Passeriformes and Columbiformes, which contribute significantly to local breeding populations. Out of 61 species of birds, passerine birds were 44% and non-passerine 56% as well. Within all species, orders were 14, families 35, and breeding birds 20. Remarkable plants were banyan (Ficus benghalensis), rubber (Ficus elastica), American mahogany (Swietenia mahagoni), coconut (Cocos nucifera), karoi (Albizia procera), and some village ponds supported to build their nest for successful breeding. Resident birds were counted 56, summer visitor 1, winter visitor 2, rare 2, and few 10 species. Based on availability of the birds, this union focused very common birds 26, common 21, and uncommon 2. This study was carried out from July 2024 to June 2025 at Nakol village. Keywords: Nakol Union, birds, distribution, abundance, diversity, breeding, Bangladesh ISRG Journal of Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences (ISRGJAVS) Copyright © ISRG Publishers. All rights Reserved. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17367561 10 which is a good shelter of many birds. Parks and botanical gardens are always significant for observing birds (Golley, 2004). The objective of this study is to understand the present status of birds in Nakol Union for their conservation. Fig 1. Location of Nakol Union in Sreepur Upazila of Magura District Materials and Methods Study areas: This study was done in Nakol Union (23°19'57"N and 89°17'23"E coordinates). Trees of the northern side and river of the east side were significant areas for this study. The bamboo forest near the Gorai River also showed some birds. Plate 1. Nakol Government Primary School with significant trees for birds’ breeding Collection of data: In order to collect data on birds, one day in a week, from 5:00 to 10 a.m, then 4:00 to 7:00 p. m. (total 8 hours) was spent. For nocturnal birds especially nightjars and owls, a simple torch light was enough. An Android mobile phone (Oppo) was perfect for taking occasional photographs and voice recordings of those birds. A pair of high-quality binoculars (10x-70x × 70mm, Comet) was helpful for this survey. A DSLR camera (Canon, EOS Rebel T3i) with a 200-500mm lens is used for necessary snaps. Statistical analyses: SPSS (version 29) was used for descriptive analysis (Appendix 1) and correlation (Appendix 2). Results and Discussion Out of 61 species of birds, 56 species were resident, winter visitors 2, and summer visitor 1. Breeding birds were noticed in 20 species (Table 2). Based on the taxonomy of birds, identified orders and families were 14 and 35 (Fig. 3). The non-passerine birds were the highest (34 species) due to different types of bushes and water bodies in this area (Table 1; Fig. 2). All birds were least concern both in national and global status except critically endangered the white-rumped vulture (Table 1). Copyright © ISRG Publishers. All rights Reserved. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17367561 11 Table 1. Avian species at Nakol Union Sl. Classification with names Family Availability and local status Columbiformes (4 species) (1 Family) 1 *Wild rock-pigeon, Columba livia, Gmelin 1789 Columbidae Very common; resident 2 Eurasian collared-dove, Streptopelia decaocto (Frivaldszky 1838) Columbidae Common; resident 3 *Spotted-dove, Spilopelia chinensis (Scopoli 1786) Columbidae Very common; resident 4 Yellow-footed green pigeon, Treron phoenicopterus (Latham 1790) Columbidae Rare; resident Psittaciformes (1 species) (1 Family) 5 *Rose-ringed parakeet, Psittacula krameri (Scopoli 1769) Psittacidae Common; resident Anseriformes (1 species) (1 Family) 6 Lesser whistling duck, Dendrocygna javanica (Horsfield 1821) Anatidae Very common; resident Accipitriformes (4 species) (1 Family) 7 Black kite, Milvus migrans (Boddaert 1783) Accipitridae Common; resident 8 Brahminy kite, Haliaster indus (Boddaert, 1783) Accipitridae Few; resident 9 Black-shouldered kite, Elanus caeruleus (Desfontains 1789) Accipitridae Common; resident 10 White-rumped vulture, Gyps bengalensis (Gmelin 1788) Accipitridae Uncommon; resident Strigiformes (3 species) (2 Family) 11 Spotted owlet, Athene brama (Temminck 1821) Strigidae Very common; resident 12 Brown fish owl, Ketupa zeylonensis (Gmelin 1788) Strigidae Common; resident 13 Barn owl, Tyto alba (Scopoli 1769) Tytonidae Common; resident Bucerotiformes (1 species) (1 Family) 14 Eurasian hoopoe, Upupa epops, Linnaeus 1758 Upupidae Uncommon; winter visitor Coraciiformes (5 species) (3 Family) 15 Common kingfisher, Alcedo atthis (Linnaeus 1758) Alcedinidae Very common; resident 16 White-breasted kingfisher, Halcyon smyrnensis (Linnaeus 1758) Alcedinidae Very common; resident 17 Pied kingfisher, Ceryle rudis (Linnaeus 1758) Alcedinidae Rare; resident 18 *Asian green bee-eater, Merops orientalis, Latham 1801 Meropidae Common; resident 19 Indian roller, Coracias benghalensis (Linnaeus 1758) Coraciidae Common; resident Cuculiformes (3 species) (2 Family) 20 Asian koel, Eudynamys scolopaceus (Linnaeus 1758) Cuculidae Common; summer visitor 21 Common hawk-cuckoo, Hierococcyx varius (Vahl 1797) Cuculidae Common; resident 22 Greater coucal, Centropus sinensis (Stephens 1815) Centropodidae Common; resident Caprimulgiformes (2 species) (2 Family) 23 *House swift, Apus nipalensis (Hodgson 1837) Apodidae Very common; resident 24 Long-tailed nightjar, Caprimulgus macrurus (Horsfield 1821) Caprimulgidae Common; resident Gruiformes (1 species) (1 Family) 25 *White-breasted waterhen, Amaurornis phoenicurus (Pennant 1769) Rallidae Very common; resident Suliformes (1 species) (1 Family) 26 Little cormorant, Microcarbo niger (Vieillot 1817) Phalacrocoracidae Very common; resident Pelecaniformes (4 species) (1 Family) Copyright © ISRG Publishers. All rights Reserved. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17367561 12 27 *Indian pond-heron, Ardeola grayii (Sykes 1832) Ardeidae Very common; resident 28 Little egret, Egretta garzetta (Linnaeus 1766) Ardeidae Very common; resident 29 Black-crowned night heron, Nycticorax nycticorax (Linnaeus 1758) Ardeidae Common; resident 30 Eastern cattle-egret, Bubulcus coromandus (Boddaert 1783) Ardeidae Very common; resident Piciformes (4 species) (2 Family) 31 Coppersmith barbet, Psilopogon haemacephalus (Muller 1776) Megalaimidae Very common; resident 32 *Blue-throated barbet, Psilopogon asiaticus (Latham 1790) Megalaimidae Very common; resident 33 Fulvous-breasted woodpecker, Dendrocopos macei (Vieillot 1818) Picidae Common; resident 34 Black-rumped flameback woodpecker, Dinopium benghalense (Linnaeus 1758) Picidae Very common; resident Passeriformes (27 species) (16 Family) 35 *Common myna, Acridotheres tristis (Linnaeus 1766) Sturnidae Very common; resident 36 Jungle myna, Acridotheres fuscus (Wagler 1827) Sturnidae Few; resident 37 Grey-headed myna, Sturnia malabarica (Gmelin 1789) Sturnidae Common; resident 38 *Indian pied myna, Gracupica contra (Linnaeus 1758) Sturnidae Very common; resident 39 Black-headed oriole, Oriolus xanthornus (Linnaeus 1758) Oriolidae Common; resident 40 *Black drongo, Dicrurus macrocercus, Vieillot 1817 Dicruridae Very common; resident 41 Brown shrike, Lanius cristatus, Linnaeus 1758 Laniidae Very common; winter visitor 42 Long-tailed shrike, Lanius schach, Linnaeus 1758 Laniidae Common; resident 43 Rufous treepie, Dendrocitta vagabunda (Latham 1790) Corvidae Very common; resident 44 *House crow, Corvus splendens, Vieillot 1817 Corvidae Very common; resident 45 Large-billed crow, Corvus macrorhynchos, Wagler 1827 Corvidae Few; resident 46 *Common tailorbird, Orthotomus sutorius (Pennant 1769) Cisticolidae Very common; resident 47 Red-whiskered bulbul, Pycnonotus jacosus (Linnaeus 1758) Pycnonotidae Few; resident 48 *Red-vented bulbul, Pycnonotus cafer (Linnaeus 1766) Pycnonotidae Very common; resident 49 *Jungle babbler, Argya striata (Dumont 1823) Leiothrichidae Very common; resident 50 Orange-headed thrush, Geokichla citrina (Latham 1790) Turdidae Few; resident 51 *Oriental magpie-robin, Copsychus saularis (Linnaeus 1758) Muscicapidae Common; resident 52 Taiga flycatcher, Ficedula albicilla (Pallas 1811) Muscicapidae Few; resident 53 Black-naped blue flycatcher, Hypothymis azurea (Boddaert, 1783) Monarchidae Few; resident 54 Asian paradise-flycatcher, Terpsiphone paradisi (Linnaeus, 1758) Monarchidae Few; resident 55 White-throated fantail flycatcher, Rhipidura albicollis (Vieillot 1818) Rhipiduridae Few; resident 56 Pale-billed flowerpecker, Dicaeum erythrorhynchos (Latham 1790) Dicaeidae Common; resident 57 *Purple sunbird, Cinnyris asiaticus (Latham 1790) Nectariniidae Common; resident 58 Purple-rumped sunbird, Leptocoma zeylonica (Linnaeus 1766) Nectariniidae Few; resident 59 *Indian silverbill, Lonchura malabarica (Linnaeus 1758) Estrildidae Common; resident 60 *Scaly-breasted munia, Lonchura punctulata (Linnaeus 1758) Estrildidae Very common; resident 61 *House sparrow, Passer domesticus (Linnaeus 1758) Passeridae Very common; resident *=Breeding birds Copyright © ISRG Publishers. All rights Reserved. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17367561 13 Table 2. Present status of birds at Nakol Union Order (14) Family (35) Species (61) Breeding species (20) Columbiformes 1 4 2 Psittaciformes 1 1 1 Anseriformes 1 1 0 Accipitriformes 1 4 0 Strigiformes 2 3 0 Bucerotiformes 1 1 0 Coraciformes 3 5 1 Cuculiformes 2 3 0 Caprimulgiformes 2 2 1 Gruiformes 1 1 1 Suliformes 1 1 0 Pelecaniformes 1 4 1 Piciformes 2 4 1 Passeriformes 16 27 12 Fig. 2. Group of birds Fig. 3. Local status of birds Nakol Union is renowned by its ‘Gorai River’, so many fish species are available here and some migratory birds visit every year. A report submitted on avian diversity with 140 species of birds in Magura District of Bangladesh (Shome et al., 2020). As a small union of Nakol with 61 species of birds is of course a smart finding. An old banyan tree inside the Nakol Primary School plays a significant role for many birds. Banyan trees were always good for sheltering and nesting herons and egrets (Kabir et al. 2019). Parks and botanical gardens are always significant for gathering birds (Golley, 2004). Due to planting ornamental and flowering plants in Nakol, many pollen sucking small birds come accordingly. Kabir (2016) counted 150 rock-pigeons on the N. S. Road of Kushtia. This Nakol Union has moderate number of rock-pigeons with their successful breeding. Young generations are growing with the value of nature, so they are trying to protect wildlife. Protected areas are always remarkable for the availability as well as breeding of wild birds (Kabir, 2012). Medium and bush type of trees is available in in Nakol Village. Spotted-dove was everywhere either on busy roads or road-side jungles. This dove is found throughout Bangladesh with their successful breeding status (Kabir, 2024). Once a time, there were sufficient number of paradise-flycatchers in this area but now this is rare at all. Asian paradise-flycatcher is an uncommon and summer visitor of Bangladesh and males of this species exhibit two color morphs—white and rufous (Kabir, 2024a). This is a common scenario in Bangladesh that to catch rose-ringed parakeet from the tree hole (Kabir et al., 2020). White-breasted waterhen is caught by some bird catcher especially in villages of Bangladesh (Kabir, 2024b). Kabir (2024) described 106 species of wild birds in Kushtia Sadar Upazila. Due to some urbanization, this area is facing problems to maintain biodiversity. Urbanization has a negative impact on wildlife population (Gregory et al. 2004). Conclusions Nakol Union is famous in many aspects, especially its ‘Gorai River’, trees, and some parks. As a small village, mentionable 61 common and resident birds are of course a remarkable finding to keep forward this type of research in the future. Acknowledgement The corresponding author of this article is giving thanks to his cousin Md. Shamsul Alam (Liton), Area Manager (Animal Health Division) (Islam Group) of ‘Navana Pharmaceuticals Limited’ provided all of the information about the birds of Nakol. Once a time, author passed lot of time with his cousin. Liton was cordially helpful to communicate and shared all of his knowledge about the birds at Nakol. The author is expressing his immense gratitude to him for reviewing this article. References 1. Golley, M. 2004. Birds of Parks and Gardens. New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd., London, Cape Town, Sydney, Auckland. 2. Gregory, R., Baillie, S., Bashford, R. 2004. Monitoring breeding birds in the United Kingdom. In: Bird Numbers 1995, Proceedings of the International Conference and 13th Meeting of the European Bird Census Council, Parnu, Estonia Bird Census News 13(2000) (ed. Anselin, A.), pp. 101-102. 3. Kabir, A. 2012. Breeding birds in Saidpur cantonment area, Bangladesh. International Research Journal of Biochemistry and Bioinformatics 2(10): 216-219. 4. Kabir, A. 2024. Burmese/Malayan spotted dove (Spilopelia chinensis tigrina) (Aves: Columbiformes) in rural and urban areas of Bangladesh. Journal of Wildlife 1(2): 12-18. Copyright © ISRG Publishers. All rights Reserved. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17367561 14 5. Kabir, A. 2024. Distribution, abundance and breeding of birds in Kushtia Sadar Upazila, Bangladesh. Kushtia College Journal 2: 1-11. 6. Kabir, A. 2024a. Mapping review on Paradise-flycatchers: expedition, breeding plumage, and natural threats. International Journal of Research Studies in Zoology 8(2): 1-3. 7. Kabir, A. 2024b. In-situ and ex-situ protection of whitebreasted waterhen (Amaurornis phoenicurus) (Pennant, 1769) (Aves: Rallidae). Journal of Ethology & Animal Science 6(1): 1-2. 8. Kabir, A., Hawkeswood, T. J., Makhan, D. 2020. Caring of a chick of the Rose-ringed parakeet, Psittacula krameri borealis (Neumann, 1915) (Aves: Psittacidae) after being rescued. Calodema 810: 1-5. 9. Kabir, A., Makhan, D., Hawkeswood, T. J. 2019. Colony breeding of the Great White Egret and the Black-crowned Night Heron in northern regions of Bangladesh. Calodema 716: 1-8. 10. Kabir, M. A. 2016. Rock-pigeons in some parts of Bangladesh. The Journal of Middle East and North Africa Sciences 2(3): 45-49. 11. Kabir, M. A. 2018. Nesting of Baya Weaver Ploceus philippinus in Mohammadpur village under Rajshahi Division of Bangladesh. International Journal of Research Studies in Science, Engineering and Technology 5(7): 21-25. 12. Map of Sreepur Upazila of Magura District. https://www.thebangladesh.net/khulna-division/maguradistrict/sreepur-upazila-magura.html 13. Shome, A. R., Alam, M. M., Rabbe, M. F., Rahman, M. M., Jaman, M. F. 2020. Diversity, status and habitat usage of avifauna at Magura Sadar Upazila, Bangladesh. Bangladesh Journal of Zoology 48(2): 441-456. 14. Wikipedia. 2025. Nakol Union. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nakol_Union Appendix 1. Descriptive Statistics Variable N Mean Std. Deviation Range Species 14 4.36 6.67 1–27 Breeding Species 14 1.43 3.11 0–12 Breeding Ratio (%) 14 29.60 35.47 0–100 Appendix 2. Correlation Matrix (Pearson, two-tailed) Variables Families Species Breeding Species Families 1.000 0.982 0.969 Species 0.982 1.000 0.972 Breeding Species 0.969 0.972 1.000