Abstract
This study was carried out to examine avian species richness and diversity at the Dschang Municipal Lake and to determine the effects of ecotourism infrastructural development on the avifauna distribution. The habitat around the lake was stratified into the undeveloped eastern part with natural/farm bush vegetation cover and the infrastructural developed western part with buildings and carpet grass lawns. A total of six transects each of 400 m length were established for bird census by vision and through their calls/songs. Sixty one (61) bird species were observed at the Dschang Municipal Lake amongst which seven were Palearctic migrants, 10 Inter-African migrants and 44 Residents. Two rare and occasional species were observed; the Fulvous Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna bicolor) and Intermediate Egret (Egretta intermedia). No significant seasonal variation was observed for bird species richness and diversity as our survey seasons were not very distinct. Similarly, species richness did not vary significantly between the undeveloped and the ecotourism infrastructural developed parts but varied in diversity index. Diversity index for water birds was greater in the undeveloped part of the lake while for terrestrial birds it was the reverse. Overall, this landscape heterogeneity at the Dschang Municipal Lake with developed and undeveloped parts provide a variety of habitat types for the diversity of bird species recorded and should be properly managed and conserved from a landscape approach. Key words: Bird, wetlands, dam, seasonal variations,habitat variations.
Highlights
Lakes are ecosystems that provide critical habitats for a significant array of plants and animals (IUCN, 2002)
With a total of 61 species recorded during this study and 14 more retrieved from literature and annotated lists left behind by tourists, the total bird species of the Dschang Municipal Lake currently stands at 75
This is indicative that the list is not exhaustive and that with additional surveys, more birds could still be added to the checklist from this study
Summary
Lakes are ecosystems that provide critical habitats for a significant array of plants and animals (IUCN, 2002). They are an important refuge to many migratory birds that travel long distances in search of food and habitat (Jannert, 2003) and like other wetlands, they serve as critical breeding sites for several species of birds. Birds have been proven to be excellent indicators of water quality (Aynalem and Bekele, 2008) as in the case of assessing the ecological integrity of Prairie Wetlands (Adamus, 1996). The distribution and abundance of many bird species are determined by the composition and structure of the vegetation that forms a major element of their habitats (Aynalem and Bekele, 2008). Seasonality and consequent variations in the abundance of food resources result in seasonal changes in the species richness and abundance of birds (Williams and Middleton, 2007; Nirmala, 2016)
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