Comparing habitat preferences of a set of waterbird species wintering in coastal wetlands of North Africa: implication for management

Abstract

Every year, the Coastal wetlands of North Africa support an important wintering waterbird population of many Palearctic and sub-Saharan species of various contrasting habitat requirements. In this study, we describe the habitat use by24 water-obligate species wintering in a coastal wetland of the Northeastern Algeria (the wetland of Lake Tonga), highlighting thereby the ecological mechanisms that support their coexistence and their resources partitioning. The analysis of resource exploitation (Relative frequency, Feinsinger niche breadth, Pianka niche overlap and Ivlev’s electivity indexes) showed that waterbird species inhabiting the lake wetland have several similarities in using the different habitat categories, which lead us to cluster them into 5 guilds (G1: one rails, two grebes and eight ducks; G2: five wading species and one gull; G3: three herons; G4: cormorants, mallards, and on gull; finally, G5: only one species Cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis).Almost all the species were specialists in resource utilization patterns (narrow niche breadths, both under 0.3) and therefore, vulnerable to fluctuations in resources, particularly the feeding habitats. Mean niche overlaps for all the pairs of species ranged from 0.05 to 0.68. The overall pattern in the community was higher niche overlaps between the species of a particular guild than those between other species. According to Ivlev’s electivity index, we found that only three microhabitats from seven were the most important for the discussed species, open water body was the most attractive, followed by meadows, muddy areas and floating- leafed vegetation. Similarities on habitat requirements derived from our region can provide important and optimal wetland management at multi-species assemblage level for this wetland and similar area around the African coast.

Biodiversity and phenological status of the waterbirds of the Lac des Oiseaux (Northeast of Algeria)

“…Its numbers can reach 1500 birds. The Recurvirostridae family is also represented by two species that frequent the banks of this wetland only during the summer period (Figure 4) (Elafri et al, 2017, Baaziz et al, 2011, Seddik et al, 2010, 2012. The Laridae family is very poorly represented in this wlake (Figure 4).…”

Waterbird Density and Habitat Utilisation Pattern in Wular Lake, Kashmir, India

“…Anatids have been reported to prefer open water and floating vegetation habitats for dabbling and food resources these habitats provide them (2) . Elafri et al, (2017) (53) has also suggested that open water is a shallow habitat and provides organic matter to dabbling and diving ducks, coots and grebes. Anatids showed low presence in tall emergents during midwinter, because dense vegetative cover restricts their movement and foraging efficiency (53) , (54)(55)(56) .…”

“…Elafri et al, (2017) (53) has also suggested that open water is a shallow habitat and provides organic matter to dabbling and diving ducks, coots and grebes. Anatids showed low presence in tall emergents during midwinter, because dense vegetative cover restricts their movement and foraging efficiency (53) , (54)(55)(56) . In post winter anatids were abundant in floating vegetation due to the growth of new macrophytes which provided food.…”

Distribution and Numbers of Three Globally Threatened Waterbird Species Wintering in Morocco: The Common Pochard, Marbled Teal, and White-Headed Duck

“…e Common Pochard is a Eurasian duck found in a wide variety of wetlands (marshes, lagoons, lakes, artificial reservoirs, and rivers), with eutrophic to pH neutral waters, but it mostly prefers large open bodies of water with abundant emergent vegetation [8][9][10]. In Morocco, it is a winter visitor, passage migrant, and occasional to regular breeder [4,11,12].…”