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Environmental Niche Modelling of Globally Threatened Yellow-Throated Bulbul, Pycnonotus Xantholaemus for Conservation Prospects in the Deccan Peninsula, India

Ashish Jha,K. Vasudevan

Published 2020 in Current Science

ABSTRACT

Yellow-throated bulbul (YTB), Pycnonotus xantholaemus is an endemic and threatened bird of the Deccan Peninsula which is found in discontinuous populations. We used MaxEnt algorithm to generate environmental niche models for further surveys. We compared the models for current and future scenarios to assess change in the extent of suitable habitat in response to climate change. We used 102 verified presence locations and six environmental variables: four climatic, one topographical and one vegetation layer to generate the final model. Topographic ruggedness index and precipitation of wettest month were the major predictors of suitable habitat. The predicted distribution amounting to 7% of the Deccan Peninsula was highly fragmented. Only 13.5% of the predicted habitat fell within the Protected Areas. Models predicted 6.5%–42% loss of habitat in different climate change scenarios, with a marginal gain in the western slopes of southern Western Ghats. Microclimatic features of the habitat may help determine the geographic distribution of YTB. This could serve as a nontraditional flagship species to highlight conservation of rocky outcrops in the Deccan Peninsula.

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