Species Diversity and Abundance of Starling Birds at Federal University Dutse, Nigeria

Abstract

The biodiversity of an ecosystem can give information on the health of that ecosystem. This study examined starling bird species diversity and abundance, as well as the effects of vegetation and season of the year on starling birds at Federal University Dutse. Point count bird census technique was used to survey starling birds at sixteen (16), randomly selected points, within the study location, during the rainy and dry seasons of the year. Vegetation measurement was also taken. The number of trees were counted and percentage grass cover was estimated. Data analysis was carried out using the statistical software R version 3.3. A total of 607 individual birds of five (5) starling species; Chestnut-bellied starling, Greater blue-eared starling, Lesser blue-eared starling, Long-tailed glossy starling and Purple glossy starling were observed. There was a significant negative relationship between Starling species diversity and percentage grass cover (p < 0.001) as Starling species diversity decreased with increase in percentage grass cover. Starling species diversity also differed significantly by seasons of the year (p < 0.001), with higher diversity recorded during the dry season. Starling bird abundance on the other hand, also decreased marginally with increase in percentage grass cover (p = 0.06) and was higher during the dry season of the year (p = 0.01). The most abundant Starling bird species was the Chestnutbellied starling (p < 0.001).