Avian species diversity in the southern Gulf of Lake Tana and head of
the Blue Nile River, Ethiopia
Abstract
Avian study in the southern Gulf of Lake Tana and head of the Blue Nile
River, Ethiopia was conducted from June 2016 to April 2017 during the
wet and dry seasons to examine species composition, relative abundance,
and habitat association of birds. The study area was classified based on
its vegetation cover and composition and the point count method was used
to gather information about the occurrence of avian species and their
relative abundances. A total of 131 avian species belonging to 15 orders
and 53 families were identified. The wet and dry seasons data indicated
that 122 and 108 avian species, respectively, were recorded. Agapornis
tranta and Oriolus monachal are endemic birds of Ethiopia and Eritrea
that are occurring in the study area. Moreover, two Intra-African
migrant, Threskiornis aethiopicus and Milves migrans, and two Palearctic
migrant, Delichon urbicum and Motacilla flava were identified in the
area. The highest avian diversity was recorded in the Debremariam
wetland (H’=3.96), while the lowest was at the adjacent areas of Lake
Tana (H’=3.22). The relative abundance score showed that 54.8% of the
avian species were uncommon and there was a significant difference in
the relative abundance of birds between the wet and dry seasons
(p<0.05). Different anthropogenic activities and urbanization
are the main threats to the conservation of birds in the southern Gulf
of Lake Tana. Therefore, appropriate management actions should be
designed and implemented to ensure the conservation of birds in the Lake
and its adjacent habitats. Keywords: Blue Nile, endemic, Lake Tana,
species diversity, point count