Feathers and faith: Sacred groves of semi-arid landscapes hold distinct avian richness and composition in Udaipur district, Rajasthan, India

Sacred groves have long been recognised for their critical role in biodiversity conservation, but research on their importance in avian conservation is limited. We conducted a comprehensive assessment of bird diversity, richness, and abundance within sacred groves and their surrounding areas in the semi-arid landscape of Udaipur, Rajasthan, India. We made 120 point counts (60 sacred groves and 60 random points) to record birds from March 2023 to July 2023. Our results revealed a greater number of bird species (n = 114) within sacred groves than random points (n = 100), including several species of global conservation concern. The species diversity remained consistent, while variations in species richness and abundance was observed. Moreover, we found that the overall composition of birds' feeding guilds was similar in both groups. We observed noteworthy differences in the abundance of frugivores, granivores, insectivores, and omnivores. Species and guild-level abundance exhibited an even distribution. Species richness in both type of sites predominantly attributed to species turnover. Feeding guilds and bird species had varying associations to environmental variables. Our findings recommend the immediate protection of these sacred areas for bird conservation.