DIVERSITY, RELATIVE ABUNDANCE AND HABITAT ASSOCIATION OF BIRDS IN BAHIR DAR  CITY

Abeba, Alemu

dc.contributor.author	Abeba, Alemu
dc.date.accessioned	2019-09-03T08:53:23Z
dc.date.available	2019-09-03T08:53:23Z
dc.date.issued	2019-09-03
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/9654
dc.description.abstract	Urbanization is an important threat to biodiversity. Nevertheless, an important number of species has been recorded to live, and even thrive, within urban centers. The study was conducted during the period of August 2018 to March 2019 aiming at the study of the diversity, abundance and habitat association of bird species in Bahir Dar city. Based on topographic map and preliminary survey, four habitat types were identified: Semi-forest, wetland, waste dumping site and residential area. A total of 100 point count stations within 10 plots of the semi forest habitat and 550 line transects within 55 blocks of open habitats (residential areas, waste dumping site and wetland) were used to collect data. Diversity indices and statistical tests including chi-square and ANOVA were employed for data analyses. A total of 186 bird species belonging to 21 orders and 59 families were recorded. The highest diversity of bird species was observed in the residential area during wet season (H’ = 3.78) and the lowest was observed in waste dumping site during dry season (H’= 2.11). The highest evenness was recorded in semi-forest area (E=0.89) and the least was in waste damping site (E=0.65). The highest bird community similarity (SI = 0.54) was recorded between wetland and waste damping and the least was between semi-forest and wetland area (SI =0.23) during wet season. Relative abundance of birds showed a statistically significant difference (F (3,472) = 9.61, P <0.05) among the four habitat types and between dry and wet seasons (F (1,474) = 5.59, P <0.05). Total number of individual birds in the four habitats showed a statistically significant difference (F (3,472) =9.05, P <0.05); however, the test was not statistically significant between seasons (F (1,474) = 1.16, P >0.05). Test of association between season and habitat types as a function of birds abundance has also confirmed the presence of strong association between season and birds abundance in different habitat types (χ 2 (8) =529.82, df = 1, P <0.005). Availability of food, water and nesting sites were the major factors determining the diversity and abundance of birds. The study area supports large number of bird species identified by suggesting the area’s potential for bird watching tourism. Therefore, there must be a collaborative work with the city administration for protecting the urban ecosystem to conserve the biodiversity therein.	en_US
dc.language.iso	en	en_US
dc.subject	BIOLOGY	en_US
dc.title	DIVERSITY, RELATIVE ABUNDANCE AND HABITAT ASSOCIATION OF BIRDS IN BAHIR DAR CITY	en_US
dc.type	Thesis	en_US