Category: Urban Fauna
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Greater Flamingo in Najafgarh, Delhi
Fizala Tayebulla On 22 June 2018, the CUES team visited Najafgarh jheel and marshland in the wee hours of the day to record the sighting of Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) flocks that have started to migrate here, skipping traditional stop-overs: Okhla and Sultanpur Bird sanctuary. The Greater Flamingo is a resident of West Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, the…
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IUCN’s Bird Species of Least Concern, A Matter of Concern in the City
Amit Kaushik This present piece is a photo blog depicting some of the bird species that have been sighted at the Dheerpur Wetland Park (DWP) during the bird surveys undertaken by the Centre for Urban Ecology and Sustainability (CUES) over the past several months. In the face of rapid urbanization in Delhi, spaces such as…
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Human Beings Best Friend Can Be Wild Too: Observing Dogs in a Wetland Park
Amit Kaushik Canis lupus familiaris – the dog – was genetically classified as a subspecies of Canis lupus or the grey wolf in 1982. Although the wolf has always been demonized by human beings, the dog is considered as their best friend. 7,000-year-old archaeological evidence from ancient human civilizations emphasizes the mutualistic relationship between dogs and human beings. This…
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House Sparrows and significance of Urban Green Spaces
Fizala Tayebulla and Vijaylakshmi Suman 20 March was celebrated as World Sparrow Day. The first edition of this day was celebrated in 2010 in different parts of the world. Historically, house sparrows (Passer domesticus) have cohabited with humans, while also playing the role of an indicator species for assessing ecological quality. Sparrows survive mostly on…
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Dodging the Dog
Ajay Immanuel Gonji Annoyed and slightly dejected was I as I dragged my feet back to the entrance of the Sanjay Van forest patch of the Delhi Ridge. Early morning that day my friend Amit and I visited the city forest hoping to spot the elusive golden jackal and capture the animal on our cameras.…
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Twinkle, Twinkle City Light: The Effects of Artificial Lighting on Species
By Sonali Chauhan Homo sapiens or humans can be termed as the most adaptable species on the planet. We not only adapt to our immediate environment but also modify it like no other species can. Urban ecosystems or cities are an epitome of the extent we can modify a particular space. Satellite images are an…
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What Makes Some Birds Urban Exploiters?
By Fizala Tayebulla Keywords: Urban Exploiter, Urbanized Area, Behavior, Trait The growth of urban topography encompasses corresponding shifts of all its associated elements and features – even biodiversity. A question to be asked is, how species characterize themselves within landscapes marked by varying degrees of urbanization? In the subject of Urban Ecology, there are two…
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Enclosures and Ethics
Ajay Immanuel Gonji Sometime in 2011 was when I purchased my first DSLR camera. I remember how excited I was the day I visited the store to pick up my camera and accessories. Of all the place’s I could’ve gone to click and get a feel of my new camera, the following day I choose…
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Where are the fish ladders in our dams?
Fizala Tayebulla Migration in fish population is a common phenomenon among several species for different purposes in their life cycle. Popularly talked about migratory fish species in India are Hilsa (Tenualosa ilisha), Pangas (Pangasius pangasius), Anguillid eels (Anguilla bengalensis, A. bicolor) as well as the Indian major carps (Catla, Rohu and Mrigal), because of their…
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Situating Nilgai in Delhi
Amit Kaushik Culling wildlife in contested spaces has been a new form of land acquisition in human-wildlife co-habitants. In India, after the incorporation of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, hunting was banned, and several wildlife types were listed under several categories. This gave them legal protection to wildlife based on their status. Several species like mice, house crows, fruit-bats, termites, etc.…