BMEOME006 - A beginner’s course on Ornithology
Unit I
Introduction to Birds – Origin and evolution of Birds – Eco zones – biogeography zones of Indian subcontinent – Indian ornithology history – Ornithological terms
Indian birds – Classification –Major families – Passerines/Non-passerines – Bird adaptation
Unit II
Identification of birds – External, Internal, Functioning – Thermoregulation - Recognition of birds with sight and sound – Field techniques – Bird habitats
Birds in Sanskrit, Tamil, English literature – folklore – Indian culture
Unit III
Sense and behavior – Food and feeding habits – Nest – Eggs – migration – Navigation – Flight – Migration studies – Banding – Telemetry studies – Threats to bird migration – Climatic change
Unit IV
Importance of birds – our relation with birds – Economic importance – Role of birds in eco-system - need for conservation – IUCN red list – IBCN - IBAs – Wild life laws
References:
1. Salim Ali, The book of Indian Birds, Bombay Natural History Society, Oxford University Press, 2003
2. Ashish Kothari, Birds in our lives, Universities Press, 2007
3. Richard Grimmett, Tim Inskipp Carol Inskipp, Birds of Indian sub-continent, Oxford University Press, 2015
4. K. Ratnam, Birds of Tamilnadu, Manivasagar pathippagam, 2004
Websites:
www.bnhs.org - Bombay Natural History Society
www.iucn.org - International Union for conservation of nature
www.birdlife.org – Bird life international
www.ebird.org - ebird