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COMMERCIAL felling of trees andforest management techniques arethreatening birds that nest in cavitiesof tree trunks. Such birds prefer diseased, dying or dead trees because itis easier to find or excavate' cavitiesin such trees. However, forest management requires the removal of alldead and diseased trees for sanitation purposes and indiscriminate felling does not spAlre potential nesting trees, leavingthe birds with fewer places to nest.
About 10 per cent of theworld's bird species are on theverge of eXtinction, threatenedby trapping and tree-felling. InIndia, 120 species of tree-cavitynesting birds have been identified, but very little informationis available about their breed-ing habits. Of the seven Indianduck species that nest in treecavities, the large whistlingteal, the Andaman teal and thewhite-winged wood duck arelisted in Schedule-I of theWildlife (Protection) Act of1972, reports Rajasthan forestofficer Deep Narayan Pandey inthe Wildlife Institute of IndiaNewsletter (Vol 6, No 3-4).Pandey says no more than 15pairs of white-winged woodducks can be found in the world, allof them in northeastern India.
The worst affected by tree-fellingare the hornbills, nine species ofwhich are found in India. Six ofthese - the brown hornbill, therufous-necked hornbill, theNarcondam hornbill, the wreathedhornbill, the India pied hornbillthe great pied hornbill - faceextinction.
The Nicobar parakeet and theRothschild parakeet, both of whichare found in India, have been listedunder endangered species in theIUCN/ICBP Red Data B k Pandeysays the parakeets, fetc fabulousprices and are ruthlessly trapped forprofit.
In India, 15 species of ovals areconfirmed tree-cavity breeders. Theforest spotted owlet was believed tohave become extinct in 1914.However, a photograph published in1968 raises hopes that the bird mayhave survived. The nocturnal habitsof these birds make them the target ofsuperstitions and they are often hunted to ward off evil spirits.
The white-winged black tit, alsounder threat, uses the same roost cavity for years. The nuthatch, anotherspecies that is dying out, uses clay tor6duce the size of their nest-holesand make them a snug fit so that noother bird will use the same hole.
Pandey suggests a minimumnumber of potential nesting treesshould be left unfelled. He foundriver-side woodlands to be exceptionally rich in woodpeckers, parakeets, tits and owls. Village sacredgroves in central and south India arealso full of birds that use tree-cavitiesas nests, said Pandey. He suggeststhat such areas be protected. Pandeyalso found that planting treesfavoured by the birds, such asbakain, helped attract both primaryand secondary cavity nesters.