The first structured survey platform for avian biodiversity in burial grounds — integrating ritual ecology, grave microhabitat, and intergenerational worker knowledge.
Six survey modules capture every variable that governs avian life in burial grounds.
Register burial grounds with 38 structured fields — GPS, grave typology, tree cover, BBMP census reference, worker generations.
Log species sightings with 20 fields including 4 novel ritual-ecological variables absent from every prior survey platform.
Document Masan Kolli, Mahalaya Amavasya, Shraddha events with food offering types, volumes, and species response levels.
Capture intergenerational oral ecological knowledge from Dalit graveyard workers — decades of informal ecological monitoring formalised.
Score ten site variables to compute the Graveyard Habitat Quality Index and generate an Accidental Conservation Zone classification.
Real-time RFI, GUQ, Shannon H′, Simpson D indices plus species × ritual cross-tables and comparative site analysis.
Registered burial ground survey sites with GHQI scores and ACZ classifications.
Record species sightings with standard ornithological fields plus 4 novel ritual-ecological context variables unique to GABIS.
Wilson Garden Hindu Burial Ground, Bengaluru · 5 observation record(s)
| Species | Site | Guild | Ritual food ★ | Grave use ★ | Ritual context | Count | Confidence | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Munia sp.
Lonchura spp.
|
Granivore | — | Not used | Non-ritual | 6 | 3/5 | 2024-04-10 | |
|
Brahminy Kite
Haliastur indus
|
Raptor / Scavenger | — | Not used | Non-ritual | 1 | 4/5 | 2024-04-10 | |
|
Common Bulbul
Pycnonotus cafer
|
Passerine | — | Not used | Non-ritual | 2 | 4/5 | 2024-03-01 | |
|
House Crow
Corvus splendens
|
Corvid / Omnivore | — | Not used | Non-ritual | 3 | 5/5 | 2024-02-14 | |
|
Black Kite
Milvus migrans
|
Raptor / Scavenger | — | Not used | Non-ritual | 1 | 4/5 | 2024-02-14 |
Document festival events, food offerings, and avian response levels at each site.
Largest annual event — highest bird activity of survey period. 8+ kites circling simultaneously.
Sustained food placement across multiple graves simultaneously.
2023 Masan Kolli. Largest family turnout recorded. First kites appeared within 20 minutes of food placement. Count: 6 Black Kites, 2 Brahminy Kites, 14+ House Crows.
Food placed at 9 graves simultaneously. Crow aggregation began within 10 minutes. Two kites observed perching on adjacent tombstones post-feeding.
Seasonal new year observance. Sweet food offerings attracted crows more than raptors. No kite response observed during the event.
Predominantly liquid and floral offerings. No significant bird activity elevation. Confirms that bird response is specifically linked to food offerings, not ritual presence alone.
Routine monthly Shraddha. Single family. Food placed on grave slab. 3 crows arrived within 5 minutes. No kite response.
December Shraddha. Four families simultaneously. Larger food volume than usual routine Shraddha. One Black Kite descended to low perch on compound wall during event.
Annual first-death-anniversary ceremony with large extended family. Meat-based offering (mutton curry) noted — unusually high crow density (20+ individuals). Black Kite count: 4.
2023 Mahalaya. Worker Shakuntalamma present during event. Noted that crows ‘know’ the families — begin congregating as soon as families enter the gate.
2022 Masan Kolli — first full survey season. Baseline established for comparison with later years. Kite count: 5 Black Kites, 1 Brahminy Kite. Crow count: 18+.
Dasara observance. Predominantly sweet and fruit offerings. Low bird activity elevation. Supports hypothesis that protein-rich food offerings (rice, fish, meat) drive higher avian responses.
Single family. Single grave. Minimal food volume. 2 crows approached within 3 minutes of placement. Reinforces crow awareness of routine Shraddha.
Large multi-family first-anniversary event. Meat-based biryani and chicken curry — highest bird response recorded outside Masan Kolli. Munia flock (10+) also arrived at grain scatter.
2023 Ugadi. Exclusively sweet food items. No avian activity elevation. Worker Shakuntalamma noted ‘birds don’t like sweet things as much’ — informal IEK consistent with observation data.
2022 Mahalaya. First Mahalaya event in survey period. Seven families. Crow count elevated to 15+ within 15 minutes of food placement. Two Black Kites circling overhead.
August Shraddha. Three separate families on same morning. Sequential food placements at different graves. Crow group followed family movements across the site.
February anniversary ceremony. Egg curry present — notable crow response. One Black Kite descended from circling to low wall perch during event. Five crows foraging on grave surface within minutes.
Routine Shraddha. Vegetarian offerings. Two crows arrived. No kite or Munia activity. Baseline Shraddha reference event for AD calculation.
November anniversary — large family gathering. Both mutton biryani and fish curry present. Highest protein-offering volume outside Masan Kolli. Crow count: 22. Black Kite count: 5. One Brahminy Kite. Munia flock at grain. Notable: birds aggregated within 8 minutes of food placement — fastest response time recorded.
Earliest Shraddha event in survey period. Single family. Minimal food. 1 crow arrived. Used as baseline entry for RDTM longitudinal comparison.
August Masan Kolli — mid-survey confirmation event. Both fish and mutton offerings. Crow response: 20+ individuals. Kite response: 7 Black Kites circling simultaneously. One Brahminy Kite perching on compound wall. Munia flock: 8 individuals at grain. High-confidence data point for RDTM engine.
Score each of the 10 ecological variables to compute the Graveyard Habitat Quality Index and Accidental Conservation Zone classification.
Your score, ACZ classification,
and variable breakdown will appear here.
Wilson Garden Hindu Burial Ground · 5 observation records
| Species | Total | RFI | GUQ | Ritual events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Kite | 1 | — | — | non_ritual |
| House Crow | 3 | — | — | non_ritual |
| Common Bulbul | 2 | — | — | non_ritual |
| Brahminy Kite | 1 | — | — | non_ritual |
| Munia sp. | 6 | — | — | non_ritual |
GABIS is the world's first structured ecological survey platform specifically designed for avian biodiversity documentation in burial ground and cremation ground habitats. Developed through grounded ethnographic fieldwork at the Wilson Garden Hindu Burial Ground (Rudra Bhoomi), Bengaluru, Karnataka, India (2022–2024).
The platform introduces three novel computed indices — RFI, GUQ, and GHQI — not available in any existing biodiversity survey instrument, including eBird, iNaturalist, KoboToolbox, Survey123, and ODK Collect.
| Version | GABIS v2.0.0 |
| PHP version | 8.1.34 |
| Observations stored | 5 |
| Sites registered | 1 |
| Ritual events logged | 22 |
| Data storage | Local JSON file |