ISSN: 2578-4994
Authors: Ogunyemi OO*
Birds as bio-indicator of an environment play an important role in the maintenance of balance in an ecosystem by providing various ecological services. The land-use effects on bird species diversity in Ekiti State were investigated to determine and compare the diversity, guild, structure and relative abundance in the four selected land use types of Ekiti State. Four study areas were selected among the land use types in the state. Transect count technique was employed to collect data on birds diversity and abundance. A total of 392 individual birds were observed that included 85 bird species belonging to 14 orders and 35 families. The order Passeriformes constituted the numerically dominant order represented with 37 species which represents 43.5% of the recorded bird species. Among the land use types, the highest species diversity was found in the natural forest (H`= 3.34) and the lowest was recorded in cashew plantation (2.88). There exist significant difference in the abundance of bird species and the total birds sighted in the four land use types at 5% level of significance (F=2.09, P= 6.33). The bird species composition of cashew plantation was more similar to that of cocoa plantation. The land-use features of the study areas and the resources abundance proved vital to the diversity of birds in the land uses as evidenced by the high species richness and abundance of insectivorous species in the study areas. Therefore, this study provide evidence that land-use types as a form of habitat modification may alter bird diversity structure and that the maintenance of the land use features will assist in the conservation of the birds in Ekiti State.
Keywords: Diversity; Guild; Structure; Relative Abundance
