v5i1.103

ISSN: 1800-427X (print)
eISSN: 1800-427X (online)
DOI:10.47605/tapro.v5i1.103

Submitted date: 18 February 2013
Accepted date: 26 April 2013
Published date: 15 June 2013
Pp. 97–98.

A note on bird–habitat relationship in Kirala Kele, Sri Lanka

W.G.K.H. Samarasekara, E.P.S. Chandana* & N.J. de S. Amarasinghe
*Corresponding author. E-mail: epschandana@zoo.ruh.ac.lk

Wetlands and their associated biodiversity are threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation, invasive species, and global climate change. Knowledge of the bird distribution pattern with respect to the habitats is critically important in conservation and management of both birds and their habitats. Hence, an attempt was made to investigate the abundance and diversity of birds associated with selected habitats in the Kirala–Kele (K–K) marshland system with reference to the habitat characters between June 2010 and November 2010. K–K Eco touring zone is one such marshland type wetland situated in Matara, Southern Sri Lanka. It covers an area of about 1,800 ha of natural marsh areas and abandoned paddy fields. In this study K–K bird sanctuary was divided into five sites, differing in water retention and vegetation types, situated along the southwest – northeast trail at least 500 m apart from each other.

Section Editor: Varadarajan Gokula