Avian diversity, species composition and habitat association in Lebu natural protected forest, southwest Showa, Ethiopiav

Abstract

Forests embody much of Earth’s ecosystem, species and genetic diversity. They have the largest reservoir of plants and animals on land. The diversity of birds in the forest fragments is still poorly documented, especially at spatial resolution of practical use for conservation. This study was conducted to determine the species composition, diversity and habitat association of avian fauna in Lebu Natural Protected Forest, Southwest Showa, Ethiopia. The survey was carried out from March to April 2019 during the dry season. The study area was classified into three discrete habitat types including natural forest, farmland and riverine forest which represent strata in a stratified random sample. Avian species were sampled from 20 randomly selected points in each of the habitat types and sighting within 30-50 meters radius was employed to record and identify birds. A total of 55 bird species belonging to 12 orders and 32 families were identified and recorded. Order Passeriformes was abundant with the highest relative abundance of 63.90 % (n = 370), while helmeted Guinea fowl Numida meleagris (13.13%) under the order Galliformes was the dominant bird species. The highest Shannon-Weiner diversity index and evenness index were recorded from the riverine forest (H′ = 2.99 and E = 0.85) while the lowest from the farmland habitat (H′ = 2.24 and E = 0.75). There were variations in species richness and abundance between the three habitats. These findings suggest the potential of the forest in supporting important bird communities and further suggest its conservation value for integrating economic gain of the local community through ecotourism.

Key words/phrases: Abundance, Bird survey, Lebu forest, Species diversity