Foraging ecology and habitat association of black-winged lovebird (Agapornis taranta) in Entoto Natural Park and Bole Sub-city site Addis Ababa

Abstract

A study on foraging ecology and habitat association of blackwinged lovebird was carried out in Entoto Natural Park (ENP) and in Bole Sub-City, Addis Ababa from October 2008 to February 2009. In Entoto Natural Park area, 58.3% of the lovebirds were observed in shrubland habitat while in Bole Sub-City, 69.6% used farmland habitat. Lovebirds used fourteen different plant species in Bole Sub-City and five in Entoto Natural Park. 26.4% of the lovebirds in Bole Sub-City were observed foraging on Zea mays and 16.5 % on Ricinus communis while in Entoto Natural Park, 50% of these lovebirds used the berries of Juniperus procera. Among the identified foraging plant parts, fruit had 60% in Bole Sub-City and 66.6% in Entoto Natural Park. The threat for the habitat quality and food availability in Entoto Natural Park might be the fragmentation of natural habitats and domination of Eucalyptus globulus tree in the area.

Keywords/phrases: Abyssinian lovebird; Distribution; Feeding

Ethiop. J. Biol. Sci., 8(2): 123-133, 2009