Avifauna within the Main Campus of Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Hassan A Rudayni

doi:10.37871/jbres1379

Abstract

Avian diversity of two zones within the main campus of IMSIU University was studied during the period from July 2019 to June 2020. A total number of 1,653 individual birds was recorded across the main campus which falls under fifteen species belonging to thirteen families. Out of this number, 760 individual of them were recorded in Zone-A versus 893 individual in Zone-B. Species richness in Zone-A was 15 while species richness in Zone-B was 13. Census index of the Birds was recorded as follows: 4.6 Birds/ha and 7.9 Birds/ha in both Zones A and B, respectively. Bird species sighted was higher in Zone-B as compared with Zone-A, as indicated by Shannon-Wiener Diversity Index (H) which accounts for 1.83 in Zone-A and 1.65 in Zone-B. Pigeon (Columba livia), House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) and Laughing Dove (Spilopelia senegalensis) were among the most frequently sighted. From the current study, it is recommended that Zone-B be pedestrianized for the enrichment and protection of the avian species. Also, new policies should be put forward by the relevant authority within the main campus to maintain avian diversity, such as expanding afforestation and green landscapes, in addition to the establishment of artificial lakes and ponds.

Highlights

Avifaunal diversity in Saudi Arabia is very high because the region represents a large part of the Arabian Peninsula which is located in the intersections of three zoogeographic regions: The Afrotropical realm or Ethiopian Zone, Palearctic Realm encompassing all of Europe, Asia, north of the foothills of the Himalayas, North Africa, and the northern and central parts of the Arabian Peninsula and a small portion of the Oceania realm [2,3]
The majority of the endemic species in the Arabian Peninsula belong to the Afrotropical origin and this is due to its location between the Asian–East African and the Black sea-Mediterranean migration routes. [4]
The main campus of IMSIU was divided into two observation sites as follows, 1) Residential and facilities area or (Zone-A), which covered approximately (165 ha) of an area of the main campus

Summary

Introduction

According to BirdLife International [1], over 10,000 species of birds are living in the world currently, where they are distributed between continental and island habitats in a ratio of 83% and 17%, respectively.Avifaunal diversity in Saudi Arabia is very high because the region represents a large part of the Arabian Peninsula which is located in the intersections of three zoogeographic regions: The Afrotropical realm or Ethiopian Zone (encompassing Africa south of the Sahara Desert, the Arabian Peninsula, Madagascar, Southern Iran, Southwestern Pakistan, and the islands of the Western Indian Ocean), Palearctic Realm encompassing all of Europe, Asia (except for Southeast Asia), north of the foothills of the Himalayas, North Africa, and the northern and central parts of the Arabian Peninsula and a small portion of the Oceania realm [2,3].The majority of the endemic species in the Arabian Peninsula belong to the Afrotropical origin and this is due to its location between the Asian–East African and the Black sea-Mediterranean migration routes. [4].Very few studies have been conducted on the Avifauna in Saudi Arabia [5,6,7,8,9,10,11] and none of them made mention of the bird’s diversity in an urban environment.Avian diversity in urban areas usually reflects the healthiness and straightness of the environment and is associated with the spread of human-made parks as well [12,13,14,15]. Avifaunal diversity in Saudi Arabia is very high because the region represents a large part of the Arabian Peninsula which is located in the intersections of three zoogeographic regions: The Afrotropical realm or Ethiopian Zone (encompassing Africa south of the Sahara Desert, the Arabian Peninsula, Madagascar, Southern Iran, Southwestern Pakistan, and the islands of the Western Indian Ocean), Palearctic Realm encompassing all of Europe, Asia (except for Southeast Asia), north of the foothills of the Himalayas, North Africa, and the northern and central parts of the Arabian Peninsula and a small portion of the Oceania realm [2,3]. Very few studies have been conducted on the Avifauna in Saudi Arabia [5,6,7,8,9,10,11] and none of them made mention of the bird’s diversity in an urban environment. The Imam University's campus at Riyadh City is considered to be one of the OPEN ACCESS Keywords

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