this is an effort to provide the information on these little birds, it shows that how important they are for our ecosystem.

1. Mr madhusudan katti
an introduction

He is assistant professor at california state
univesity.

He did a research on leaf warblers ( genus
phylloscopus) in western ghats,(kalakkad-
mundanthurai tiger reserve) - (1995-98)

For the first time he figured out the role of
warblers on our ecological system.
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/blink/know/c
ommon-warblers-in-a-royal-tigers-
lair/article7035979.ece

2. ARE WABLERS LESS IMPORTANT THAN TIGERS?
Madhusudan Katti

3. What are we doing?

Focusing on large fauna only

Leaving mini and micro fauna on nature

All the efforts are to protect habitat to food
chain of large mammals only

Avifauna is being ignored

Identification of warblers is a tough task for
anybody even hardcore bird watchers too.

4. Warblers- an introduction

There are total 19 species of warblers recorded
in Indian subcontinent.

All of them are migratory.

They breed in temperate summers from
himalaya north to the arctic circle

They take over peninsular india, himalayan
foothils and much of north east from september
to may.

So can you imagine the impact of that on our
forests?

5. charecteristic

Very small

insectivorous

Dull green colored

Highly active in forest

They stay 7 to 8 month in India

Very difficult to indentify the sub species.

Weight- 7 to 11 grams only (varies in different species)

They are territorial. Stay within same field for that long.

About 10 species have been recorded in
Ranthambhore.

6. 
They spend their 75% of waking hours in foraging.

They use vocal and visual dialogue to maintain the
territorry

All of them breed in temperate eurasian zone beyond
himalaya.

They come from forest hill range around the caspian
sea via turkey east, southern russia,afganistan and
kashmir.

Their breeding grounds are being deforested directly
by humans or by climatic change at very large scale.

7. Role in ecosystem

Mr katti selected a plot of 20 hectare in forest to
study warbler.

They can be one or more species but number
remains almost this much.

Their waking time from dusk to dawn is about 11
hrs a day.

They spend most of the time in eating insects.

8. 
Their distribution is about 6 to 8 warblers per
hectare.

On an average a leaf warbler eats 3 insects
per minute

Thus one warblers consumes about 180
insects per minute and 1980 insects per day
(11 hrs)

If there are 6 indivisuals, they will consume
about 12000 insects in a day.

9. 
There are some other birds are also found in
fields or forests like Shrikes, minivets, drongos,
flycatchers, babblers and many others.

On an average around 40 insectivorous birds
are found in each hectare.

If they consume 2 insect per bird per minute on
an average, it becomes a huge number, about
5000 insects per hour and 50000 per day.

10. What if they are removed only for
few weeks

All the soft and fresh leaves of forest canopy shall be
consumed by insects and caterpillers

Rest of leaves shall be full of shit and nibblings of them.

Plant shall start spending too much energy on self
defence and there will be less production of leave and
flowers.

Slow regeneration of forest due to less seed production,
less flowers.

Less pollination

Due to less density of forest canopy more light on
ground to dry up the moisture.

11. In the last list terminology like
this.
R: Resident
P: Passage (autumn and / or spring)
migrant
S: Summer visitor
W: Winter visitor
V: Vagrant (erratic) (no certain stay
anywhere)

12. BLYTH'S REED WARBLER
Acrocephalus
dumetorum
P Rare
GREATER WHITETHROAT Sylvia communis V Rare
LESSERWHITE THROAT Sylvia curruca W Rare
HUME'S LESSER
WHITETHROAT
Sylvia (curruca)
althaea
W Rare
ORPHEAN WARBLER Sylvia hortensis W Rare
COMMON CHIFFCHAFF Phylloscopus collybita W Common
BROOK'S LEAF WARBLER Phylloscopus
subvirdis
W Rare
SULPHER BELLIED
WARBLER
Phylloscopus
griseolus
W Rare
HUME'S WARBLER Phylloscopus humei W Rare
GREENISH WARBLER Phylloscopus
trochiloides
W Common

13. Thank you