Waterbirds in the Wetlands of Casiguran, Aurora, Philippines

Abstract

The wetlands of Casiguran, Aurora, Philippines are primarily the source of livelihood for most of the coastal communities of the area. However, this also serves as a feeding ground for many of the migratory and resident waterbirds. There are waterbird species occurring in the area that need protection but only a few studies of these species exist. This study was conducted from February to March 2019 to census and identify the water birds present in the study site, determine the conservation status and index of abundance of identified waterbirds, and describe their habitat association. Based on the result, 18 waterbird species in five families were present in the area. Family Ardeidae had six representative species, Family Charadriidae had five representative species, Family Scolopacidae had five representative species while only one species represents the Family Anatidae and Family Rallidae. Two waterbird species observed (Anas luzonica and Egretta eulophotes) were listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as vulnerable and another species (Numerius madagascariensis) was listed as endangered. In terms of abundance, Intermediate Egret (Egretta intermedia) was revealed as the most abundant (94.68%) among waterbirds. Different waterbird species prefer specific habitats. Some usually frequent freshwater and saltwater habitats, including mangroves, open sea, and watercourses inside forests while some were observed in mudflats, and rice fields during the survey.