Assessment of raptor species relative abundance in Hadejia Nguru Wetlands, Nigeria

Abstract

Birds of prey are some of the most threatened vertebrate taxa, and in the last three decades many species have experienced severe population declines or faced extinction. The global loss of raptors per se is worrying, not just because of their charisma and flagship role, but also because reduced abundance of raptors can have cascading effects on ecosystem functioning. Raptor decline may also lead to loss of ecosystem services, sometimes acutely impacting human well-being. Therefore, population distribution, diversity and abundance of birds of prey demand investigation for potential conservation interventions. The study aimed to determine the abundance of birds of prey in Hadejia-Nguru wetlands, carried out in March to August, 2021, with a view to providing information in a bid to establish a baseline for conservation for this group of birds. Transect line method was used for the bird survey. This involved moving slowly along the transect line and recording all birds seen in and around the transect line. The survey was carried out for a period of six (6) months and each site was surveyed twice every month during the study period. Bird observation was carried out twice daily; morning between 6:00 to 10:00 a.m. and evening between 3pm to 6p.m. A pair of binoculars with magnification 7X50 was used for identification of birds visually alongside with field guide “Birds of West Africa” for identification of birds. Relative abundance and t-test were used for data analysis. The total number of birds was calculated as the number of birds seen. Transect line survey method detected a total of 1,562 individual birds of prey that belong to twenty four (24) species of 2 families. Accipitridae with 20 species and Falconidae with 4 species. The most abundant species, Yellow billed kite, black shouldered kite and gabar goshawk comprised 68.5% of all individuals seen in all wetlands in all seasons. Out of the 24 species recorded 16 are resident, 5 Palearctic migrant and 3 intra-African migrant. Four species of global conservation concern were also recorded; the Vulnerable Tawny eagle (Aquila rapax) the near threatened Red-necked falcon (Falco chicquera) and Pallid harrier (Circus macrourus) and the endangered Martial eagle (Polemaetus bellicosus ). Public awareness should be raised to inform the local populace about the importance of these species to the environment vis-à-vis protecting the man-made structures used by the bird species.

Species Diversity and Relative Abundance of Birds of Prey in North Western Region of Nigeria

“…Accipitridae with 24 species is the richest family in species number and Falconidae with 7 species. This result is in conformity with the findings of Sabo and Mohammed (2022) and Okosodo et al, (2016) who reported accipitridae as the richest family in their studies conducted at Hadejia-Nguru wetlands and South Western Nigeria respectively. It is also in agreement with Kabir (2013) who conducted his research in Bangladash and reported accipitradae as the richest family.…”

“…A similar result with species of Endangered, vulnerable category, Near Threatened and Least Concerned species has been previously reported from Hadejia-Nguru wetlands, Nigeria (Sabo and Mohammed, 2022). A variety of threats like sporadic fire, cattle grazing, mining and illegal Non Timber Forest Product collection by local communities affecting the safe nesting, roosting sites and prey base and eventually the population size.…”

List of Species and Conservation Status of Avifauna and Small mammal around Bade Segment Area of River Yobe, Yobe State, Nigeria

“…Columbidae might be as a result of rice farming that is predominant in the area. The result is in contrast with the findings ofSabo (2016) who conducted a study in the same ecological area of Hadejia-Nguru wetlands and observed that only 135 species against the 50 species were identified along the RB. Similarly,Odewumi et al, (2017), reported that there were fewer number of 35 bird species belonging to 20 families were identified and recorded, the common species identified in includes Great egret (Ardea alba), Spur winged lapwing (Vanellus spinosus), Black Kite (Milvus migrans), Cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis) in Owena Multipurpose Dam, Ondo State, Southwest, Nigeria.…”

“…In Nigeria, four (4) avifauna species; Anambra waxbill (Estrilda poliopareia), Ibadan Malimbe, (Malimbus ibadanensis), Jos Plateau indigo-bird (Vidua maryae) and the Rock Fire-Finch (Lagonosticta sanguinodorsalis) are endemic to the country, making them globally important species for conservation (Nigeria National Biodiversity strategy and action plan NBSAP, 2007). Previous studies on the avifauna resources were carried out at Dagona Waterfowl Sanctuary by Lameed, 2011; Hadejia-Nguru Wetlands by Ringim and Sulaiman, 2017;Sabo, 2016. All these studies covered the Dagona-Nguru-Hadejia wetland which is congruent with river Yobe.…”

Composition and feeding guilds bird community in tropical peatland of Orang Kayo Hitam Forest Park buffer area, Jambi, Indonesia

“…Observations were made in the morning from 06.00-09.00 and afternoon from 15.00-18.00 (Asrianny et al 2018;Lwin 2018;Iswandaru et al 2020a;Ramadhani et al 2022). Observers strolled along the transect, and each encounter recorded the type of bird observed (Sabo et al 2022). In addition, bird species are recorded at each direct encounter.…”