Paper Title
A STUDY ON THE SEASONAL DIVERSITY OF RESIDENT WATER BIRD SPECIES OF SALINE MANGROVES, ERNAKULAM DISTRICT, KERALA

Abstract
Waterbirds are crucial component of most of the wetland environment including mangroves and the changeable environmental conditions such as seasons affected the richness and abundance of resident waterbird species. This study was focused on the seasonal diversity and abundance of resident waterbird species of saline mangroves, Ernakulam district, Kerala during Pre -monsoon, Monsoon and Post- monsoon seasons in 2023. We recorded 11 resident waterbird species distributed in 4 families under the order Pelecaniiformes, Ciconiiformes and Suliformes. The seasonal variation of saline mangroves showed that, the Post-monsoon season (10) was the highest species richness and least species richness was recorded during Monsoon season (6). Most abundant waterbird species was observed during Monsoon season (821) and least congregation of waterbirds was recorded during Post-monsoon season (309). The Shannon diversity index was maximum during Post-monsoon season (1.69) and Pre-monsoon (1.25) showed the lowest Shannon diversity index. Keywords - Diversity, Resident waterbird species, Seasons, Diversity indices