The Bohor reedbucks Redunca redunca (Pallas, 1767) were studied in the Bale Mountains National Park (BMNP), Ethiopia to assess their population ecology and activity patterns. The total count method was used to assess population size. Activity patterns of a herd were studied with five minutes recording intervals. There were 406 Bohor reedbucks in the study area of which 96.8% (n = 393) was confined to the Gaysay‐Adelay area. The population was female‐biased. Excluding juveniles, 57.1% (n = 232) was females and 33.5% (n = 136) was males. More adults (71.7%, n = 291) were observed than sub‐adults (18.9%, n = 77) and juveniles (9.4%, n = 38). The herd size of Bohor reedbucks varied from 3 to 5. Herds were seen in aggregations of up to 59 individuals during the dry season in swamp grassland habitat. The maximum number observed in such aggregations during the wet season was 38. The diurnal activity pattern showed feeding peaks early in the morning and late in the afternoon, with resting during the mid‐day. Two feeding peaks were observed in the nocturnal activity phase: one during dusk and the other around midnight. In contradiction to the general concept of occurrence of smaller herds during the dry season, the Bohor reedbucks aggregate in swamps during the dry season. They were also active during night and day time.

Birds are among the key components of the earth's biodiversity. The main objective of this study was to assess the diversity and abundance of birds from three study sites in Wabe fragmented forests around Gubre sub city and Wolkite town, Guraghe zone, in April, 2018. Data were collected using line and point count techniques in the early morning (6:00-10:00 a.m.) and late afternoon (4:00-6:00 p.m.) for three consecutive days each in three study sites. During this study, a total of 692 birds belonging to 50 species, 29 Families and 14 Orders were recorded. From the 50 identified species of birds, 36 (72%) of the species were recorded from bushland habitats, while 14 and 15 species were from riverine forest and plantation habitats respectively. Order Passeriformes was numerically the dominant order represented with 22 species which accounts 44%, of the identified species, while Bucerotiformes, Charadriiformes, Ciconiformes, Coliiformes and Piciformes were the least dominant orders represented with one species each. At the family level, family Accipitridae was numerically the dominant family represented with 7 species which accounts 14 %, of the identified species. At species level, Helmeted guineafowl (Numida meleagris) was numerically the most dominant species. The total abundance of birds was significant difference (p=0.00) among the three sites. In general, highest number of individual birds were counted in bushland (410) followed by riverine forest (160) and plantation habitat (122). Furthermore, bushland area had higher value of species diversity (H'=2.89) than plantation area (H'=2.17) and riverine forests (H'=2.16). However, the study area particularly bushland and riverine forests are highly distributed due to human activities. More studies are required to make a complete list of available bird species in the study area.

African white-backed vultures (Gyps africanus) are critically endangered bird species which are commonly found in areas where rubbish food sources and roosting and/or nesting sites are available. This study assessed the population size and threats of the African white-backed vultures in Wolkite town abattoir and the surrounding dumping site from April 2019 to March 2021. A total count method was employed to assess the population size of the species and analyzed using descriptive statistics. A questionnaire consisting semi-structured open-ended questions was used to study the attitude and perception of the local community. During the study period, 192 field visits were conducted to count the population size of African white-backed vultures. Individual African white-backed vultures were counted in the abattoir and dumping sites. About 472 individuals (36%) were counted in the dumping site (Mean ± SD: 20±7.4; Range: 8-29) and 839 individuals (64%) were counted in the abattoir (Mean ± SD: 34±8; Range: 22-47). The age category in the dumping site constituted 269 adults and 203 sub-adults with a statistically significant difference (x2= 8.14, df =1, p< 0.05) between adults and sub-adult age groups. In the abattoir, 319 of the population were adults and 520 were sub-adults, a significant difference (x2= 48.2, df =1, p< 0.05) in the age groups in the area. Threats such as human disturbance and competition for food and roosting with domestic and wild animals were observed during the study period.

Hooded vulture (Necrosyrtes monachus) is an African endemic scavenger listed as Critically Endangered species. The population is declining across its range and there is threat of significant decline in population and distribution in Ethiopia. Little efforts have been made to properly document the status of vulture population and their diurnal activity patterns in the country for ensuring long term conservation measures. A study was conducted in Addis Ababa Abattoirs enterprise, Ethiopia from November 2019 to January 2020 to investigate the abundance and diurnal activity patterns of hooded vultures. The abundance of these vultures was estimated by direct counts method at their feeding sites and scan sampling was employed to study the diurnal activity patterns of hooded vultures from dawn to dusk. Hooded vulture mean abundance was 216±40 at the abattoir. Their diurnal activity pattern showed that they were observed feeding, resting (perching, watching and basking), preening, roosting and others activities such as walking, drinking, chasing and flying. They spent 37.73% of their time in resting followed by others (including walking, drinking, chasing and flying) (27.73%). The major threat recorded for theses vultures in the abattoir includes shortage of food, human disturbances, negative attitudes and lack of awareness on the importance of the species. Further ecological studies and impacts of human activities on Addis Ababa Abattoirs enterprise should be conducted for the conservation of hooded vulture and other conspecifics in the area.

Egyptian goose (Alopochena egyptiacus) is a resident bird species in Africa South of the Sahara occurring throughout the entire Nile Valley. Despite the wide distribution, the available information on its behavioral ecology is limited in Ethiopia. A study on the activity patterns, habitat use and foraging  habits  of Egyptian goose was carried out in and around Boyo wetland, Ethiopia, during the dry and wet seasons. Scan sampling method was used to study the activity patterns and habitat use of Egyptian goose in  grassland, mudflat and shallow water habitats of the wetland. The feeding behavior of Egyptian goose was also observed in the surrounding farmland habitats using scan sampling method.  Generally,  Egyptian geese spent most of their time resting (39.81%) followed by foraging (32.64%). They spent 10.43% of their time in comfort movement preening or stretching. The rest of their time was allocated for locomotion (6.63%), vigilance (5.75%), and social behavior (1.59%), and other activities (2.86%). Most of the birds were engaged in foraging activity in the morning (07:00-9:00 h) and afternoon (16:00 - 18:00 h) hours both during the wet and dry seasons.  About 39% of Egyptian geese were scanned in mudflat, 31.5% in grassland, and 30.05% in shallow water habitats engaged in different activities. Most individuals  used the grassland habitat for foraging during the dry (59.5%) and wet (74%) seasons, while they used shallow water and mudflat habitats for resting both during the wet and dry seasons seasons. The birds were observed foraging  mainly  grass during the dry (93.62%) and wet (59.52%) seasons. The Egyptian geese show diurnal activity pattern with feeding peaks in early morning and late afternoon hours as is observed in many other avian taxa. The Boyo wetland is also as an important foraging ground for this species and other birds in the area. Further ecological studies on the species and impact of human activities on the Boyo wetland should be conducted for the conservation of the avifauna.