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Human Disturbance Was Linked to 28 Abandoned Nests at Punjab Village Ponds

Vanellus indicus, India
Research · Reproduction & development

A field study at village ponds in Punjab, India, monitored 67 nests belonging to eight bird species and recorded 28 abandoned nests linked to human disturbance. The research was carried out from March to September 2023 at ponds in Fatehgarh Sahib, Patiala and Ludhiana districts and was first published online on 18 February 2026.

The nesting species were black-winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus), baya weaver (Ploceus philippinus), eastern cattle egret (Ardea coromanda; treated as cattle egret, Bubulcus ibis, in the study), common moorhen (Gallinula chloropus), purple swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio in the study), purple sunbird (Cinnyris asiaticus), red-wattled lapwing (Vanellus indicus) and white-breasted waterhen (Amaurornis phoenicurus).

Common moorhen had the most abandoned nests

Common moorhen had the highest number of abandoned nests, with six of 11 nests abandoned. Four of seven black-winged stilt nests and four of eight red-wattled lapwing nests were also abandoned. Three abandoned nests were recorded for each of eastern cattle egret, purple swamphen, purple sunbird and white-breasted waterhen, while two of 14 baya weaver nests were abandoned.

Six of the eight nesting species were waterbirds, and the study showed how strongly breeding depended on the vegetation around and within the ponds. Four species used Acacia nilotica as a nesting tree, while common moorhens, purple swamphens and white-breasted waterhens also nested in or among dense aquatic vegetation such as Alternanthera philoxeroides and water hyacinth. Most waterbirds built open or floating-platform nests from reeds, weeds, mud and other material available at the pond edge.

Human disturbance took several forms

The researchers described several forms of disturbance around the ponds. Removal of aquatic vegetation during pond cleaning disturbed nesting black-winged stilts, common moorhens, purple swamphens and white-breasted waterhens. Weed removal and tree pruning during the breeding season were linked to nest abandonment by cattle egrets and purple sunbirds, while combine harvesters directly damaged nests or nesting habitat used by ground-nesting red-wattled lapwings. Waste disposal around ponds also attracted scavenging birds and stray animals that could disturb nesting birds.

The authors recommend protecting breeding sites from disruptive activities during the nesting season and improving local awareness of the value of wild vegetation around village ponds as nesting habitat.

Sources and image credit

  1. Sekhon, G. S., Sharma, P., Aulakh, R. K., & Kler, T. K. (2026). Avian nest abandonment and human impact on freshwater ponds in Punjab: Policy interventions needed. Indian Journal of Entomology, 87(4), 865–871. https://doi.org/10.55446/IJE.2024.2350Primary research article. The journal records first online publication on 18 February 2026. Researchers monitored 67 nests of eight bird species at village ponds in Fatehgarh Sahib, Patiala and Ludhiana districts from March to September 2023; 28 nests were abandoned due to anthropogenic activities.

Image: Drkvijay2000 / Wikimedia Commons — red-wattled lapwing (Vanellus indicus) in Hyderabad, India, 15 June 2016. Representative image for this story; not presented as an animal or scene from the reported study or event. · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

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Reproduction & development

SPECIES IN THIS STORY

Species in this story

Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus Explore species Eastern Cattle Egret Ardea coromanda Explore species Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus Explore species Purple Sunbird Cinnyris asiaticus Explore species Red-wattled Lapwing Vanellus indicus Explore species White-breasted Waterhen Amaurornis phoenicurus Explore species

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