title: Seasonal Changes in Bird Species and Feeding Guilds along Elevational Gradients of the Central Himalayas, Nepal.
abstract: The Himalayas are a global hotspot for bird diversity with a large number of threatened species, but little is known about seasonal changes in bird communities along elevational gradients in this region. We studied the seasonality of bird diversity in six valleys of the Central Himalayas, Nepal. Using 318 plots with a 50 m radius, located from 2200 to 3800 m a.s.l., and repeated sampling during different seasons (mainly pre-monsoon, monsoon, and post-monsoon), we analyzed 3642 occurrences of 178 species. Birds classified in the literature as resident were more species-rich than migratory birds (140 vs. 38 species). In all six valleys and within the studied elevation range, species richness of all birds showed a peak at mid-elevation levels of 2600 or 3000 m a.s.l. Similar patterns were found for the most species-rich feeding guilds of insectivores (96 species) and omnivores (24 species), whereas the species richness of herbivores (37 species including frugivores) increased towards higher elevations. Among these feeding guilds, only species richness of insectivores showed pronounced seasonal changes with higher species numbers during post-monsoon season. Similarly, individual bird species showed distinct spatio-temporal distribution patterns, with transitions from species dominated by elevational differences to those characterized by strong seasonal changes. In an era of climate change, the results demonstrate that individual bird species as well as feeding guilds might greatly differ in their responses to climate warming and changes in the seasonality of the precipitation regime, two aspects of climate change which should not be analyzed independently.
authors.affiliation: Central Department of Zoology, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal.|Small Mammals Conservation and Research Foundation, Kathmandu, Nepal.
authors.forename: Hem Bahadur
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Katuwal
authors.affiliation: Central Department of Zoology, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal.
authors.forename: Khadga
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Basnet
authors.affiliation: Natural History Museum, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal.
authors.forename: Bhaiya
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Khanal
authors.affiliation: Central Department of Botany, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal.|Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Shiva
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Devkota
authors.affiliation: Central Department of Botany, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal.|Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Sanjeev Kumar
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Rai
authors.affiliation: Central Department of Botany, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal.|Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Jyoti Prasad
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Gajurel
authors.affiliation: Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Scheidegger
authors.affiliation: Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Michael P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Nobis
mesh_terms: D000531:Altitude; D000818:Animals; D044822:Biodiversity; D001717:Birds; D057231:Climate Change; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D009390:Nepal; D012621:Seasons; D013696:Temperature