Deterministic processes drive turnover-dominated beta diversity of breeding birds along the central Himalayan elevation gradient

Beta diversity,the variation of community composition among sites,bridges alpha and gamma diversity and can reveal the mechanisms of community assembly through applying distance-decay models and/or partitioning beta diversity into turnover and nestedness components from functional and phylogenetic perspectives.Mountains as the most natural experiment system provide good opportunities for exploring beta diversity patterns and the underlying ecological processes.Here,we simultaneously consider distance-decay models and multiple di-mensions of beta diversity to examine spatial variations of bird communities,and to evaluate the relative importance of niche-based and neutral community assembly mechanisms along a 3600-m elevational gradient in the central Himalayas,China.Our results showed that species turnover dominates taxonomic,functional,and phylogenetic beta diversity.We observed strongest evidence of spatial distance decays in taxonomic similarities of birds,followed by its phylogenetic and functional analogues.Turnover component was highest in taxonomic beta diversity,while nestedness component was highest in functional beta diversity.Further,all correlations of assemblage similarity with climatic distance were higher than that with spatial distances.Standardized values of overall taxonomic,functional,and phylogenetic beta diversity and their turnover components increase with increasing elevational distance,while the standardized values of taxonomic and phylogenetic nestedness decreased with increasing elevational distance.Our results highlighted the niche-based deterministic processes in shaping elevational bird diversity patterns that were determined by the relative roles of decreasing trend of environmental filtering and increasing trend of limiting similarity along elevation distances.

Birds’Diversity in Kalfou Forest Reserve and Its Peripheral Zone, Far North, Cameroon

The Far North Region of Cameroon is home to a great diversity of bird species, which unfortunately remains very little explored. This work was initiated to establish an inventory of birds and the factors affecting their diversity and distribution for sustainable management in the Kalfou Forest Reserve (KFR) and its periphery. Two methods were used for sampling, linear strip transects from which direct counts and indirect observations were made and the mist netting to complement the first. In total, 2525 birds were observed, including 149 species, belonging to 20 orders and 55 families. Accipitridae had the greatest number of species (11). The species richness was greater in the KFR (117 species) compared to the periphery (95 species). The specific richness was higher in wooded savannah compared to other habitats. Shannon index was significantly higher in the KFR (3.99) compared to that obtained in the periphery (3.80). The value of the Simpson index was higher on the outskirts of the KFR than on the periphery. The indices of species diversity were greater in the wooded savannah compared to other vegetation types. The seasons had no influence on bird diversity. Among the human activities encountered, the pressure indices were more important for grazing (7.3 contacts/km). Human activities have resulted in a significant decrease in specific richness. Six endangered species were encountered, four belonging to the Accipitridae family. The greater bird diversity in the reserve compared to the periphery shows that protected areas are a long-term solution for biodiversity conservation.

Patterns of species diversity and functional diversity of breeding birds in Hangzhou across an urbanization gradient

Given the rapid rise in human population and increasing urbanization,it is important to understand their potential impacts on biodiversity.From March 2007 to August 2007,we conducted bird surveys in 90 strip transects,each 3 km long and 100 m wide,along a gradient of urbanization in Hangzhou,China.This gradient spanned a range of urbanization levels including urban areas,rural-urban continuum areas,farming areas,mixed forest/farming areas and forested areas.We recorded 96 breeding bird species and classified them into nine functional groups based on nesting requirements.The nine functional groups consisted of canopy nesters,shrub nesters,canopy/shrub nesters,natural cavity nesters,building nesters,natural cavity/building nesters,ground nesters,water surface nesters and parasitic nesters.Species and functional diversities were estimated based on the Shannon-Wiener index.Environmental data of each transect as human disturbance,vegetation cover and building index were also measured,and a synthetic urbanization index of each transect was introduced based on these data.We used regression analyses to model the relationship of species abundance,species diversity,functional abundance and functional diversity with this synthetic index.The results show that urbanization significantly reduces species richness,species diversity,functional richness and functional diversity,but the specific patterns differed.The relationship between species abundance/species diversity and urbanization is linear.In contrast,the relationship between functional diversity and urbanization was quadratic.In other words,with increased urbanization,functional diversity declined only slightly at first but then dropped at an accelerating rate.This implies that,although moderate urbanization reduces species diversity of breeding birds,it affects functional diversity of breeding birds only slightly in Hangzhou.The regression analysis of species diversity and functional diversity suggests a quadratic relationship between species diversity and functional diversity,i.e.,a linear relationship between species diversity and functional diversity can only exist at low diversity levels across urbanization gradients and increasing species abundance does not lead to an increase in functional diversity at the highest diversity levels.

Mongolian Lark as an indicator of taxonomic,functional and phylogenetic diversity of steppe birds

Biodiversity is declining at an unprecedented rate.Many grassland species have been lost and are now of conservation concern.Identifying efficient biodiversity indicators is a key pillar of the global conservation strategy.Mongolian Lark(Melanocorypha mongolica) is a charismatic bird species abound in Mongolian steppes,and recent studies demonstrated that this species share similar habitat requirements an d likely co-occur with other grassland birds.We tested the hypothesis that Mongolian Lark would make a suitable indicator for different aspects of avian biodiversity.We made a large-scale bird survey in Inner Mongolia,and classified point counts into three groups based on different taxonomic,functional,and phylogenetic biodiversity measures.We identified species indicators of each group using the indicator value(IndVal) analysis,and examined the bird compositional difference among groups.Linear models were used for studying the patterns of occurrence of Mongolian Lark in relation to various biodiversity measures.Mon golian Lark showed the highest indicator value in comparison with other potential species indicators.Bird species richness is significantly higher at sites with Mongolian Lark,an d its occurrence was negatively correlated with species abundance,functional richness,Rao’s quadratic entropy and phylogenetic diversity.Mongolian Lark is therefore a suitable indicator species for avian biodiversity in Mongolian steppes.It is highly distinctive in flight and usually seen singly.The widespread distribution and charismatic appearance make it easy to monitor and adequate for citizen science,and may provide useful information on the paradigm of surrogacy in conservation ecology.

Diversity, Abundance, Richness, and Birds of Conservation Interest in Nyando Sugar Belt, Muhoroni Sub-County, Lake Victoria Basin, Western Kenya

Thus far, no expedition has comprehensively surveyed the composition of bird species in the dilapidated habitats of Nyando sugar belt, Western Kenya. This has made it difficult unearthing equilibrium between agricultural growth and bird species conservation. In response, we conducted bird assessment by stratifying the expedition area into farmlands and shrub-land. We then sampled birds by the standard point count method and opportunistic counts within a 30 m radius parcel of land. We exhaustively observed 1450 birds of 122 species. The farmland recorded a density of 2.065 ± 1.11 birds per hectare whereas the shrub-land had a density of 1.644 ± 0.70 birds per hectare. Nyando sugar belt was a diverse community with a Shannon diversity index value (H’) of 3.225 regardless of the birds being constrained in certain habitats. The magnitude of the disparity in true diversity indicated that the farmland was 4 times more diverse than the shrub-land. The facts promoted by this research validate the incorporation of bird conservation in the farmland and formulation of avian conservation strategies.

The Relationship between Birds Diversity and Habitats in Phou Khao Khouay (PKK) National Park of Lao PDR

In recent years, global warming, drought and little rain, forest fires, forest destruction and other human disturbances have had an important impact on the habitat environment of birds, affecting the number and quality of bird habitats, directly threatening the survival and reproduction of birds, leading to a sharp decline in the diversity of bird species. In this study, the PKK National Park (18&#17614' - 18&#17632'N;102&#17638' - 102&#17659'E), Laos was used as a research site. The birds and their habitats in the park were used as research objects. The species, quantity and distribution of birds were investigated. In addition, the distribution of vegetation and the relationship between bird’s community and habitat types in PKK National Park were studied. Species diversity and Abundance of birds at PKK National Park, was monthly assessed by point count method between January and December 2018. A total of 117 species of birds belonging to 43 families and 18 orders were found in the inspection areas. Among them, Passerine birds (60 species) and Non-Finches (57 species) were almost equal to each other, accounting for 51.3% and 48.7% of total birds species respectively. Again, Anseriformes birds account for the largest number amongst Non-Passeriformes, reaching 15 species, followed by Falconiformes, accounting for 20.5% of total. On the other hand, based on migratory habits, resident birds were found to be highest in our research site which account for 35.04% of total birds and followed by Summer Migratory birds (32.28%), Passage Migrant (23.93%) and Winter Migratory birds (6.83%). Through the quantitative measurement and analysis of various parameters, the focus is on the diversity of birds and species in the park. Further, the factors that can affect species diversity, especially the bird’s survival factors such as vegetation change pattern, transformation rate of green areas, recruitment and restoration pattern of wild animals, especially birds, and other beneficial animal populations were also emphasized in our study. Over and above, exploring the scientific basis for the construction of the green space system of the PKK National Park in Laos with reasonable structure, complete functions and ornamental values was in the heart of this research.

Distribution pattern and driving factors of genetic diversity of passerine birds in the Mountains of Southwest China

Genetic diversity is one of the three dimensions of biodiversity and fundamental to various life forms on the Earth.Understanding the distribution pattern of genetic diversity and its driving forces has been an important topic in ecology,biogeography and conservation biology since the last decade.We investigated the genetic diversity pattern of passerine birds in the Mountains of Southwest China,a global biodiversity hotspot with the highest species richness of birds in the entire Eurasia,and explored the influencing forces of environmental variables on genetic diversity.We compiled 1189 Cytochrome b sequences of 27 passerine species from 152 geographic sites,covering the range of Mountains of Southwest China and its adjoining areas.We generated genetic diversity distribution maps using a grid-cell method based on nucleotide diversity and haplotype diversity indices.We further analyzed the variation pattern of the two indices along latitudinal,longitudinal,and elevational gradients.The correlations between the two indices and environmental variables were also evaluated.The nucleotide diversity hotspots were mostly located in the southern Hengduan Mountains,while for haplotype diversity,three hotspots were detected:the southeast edge of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau,the southern Hengduan Mountains and the Qinling Mountains.There was no monotonic increasing or decreasing pattern in nucleotide diversity or haplotype diversity along latitudinal,longitudinal or elevational gradients except for altitudinal range.Correlation and model selection analyses detected multiple environmental variables in driving genetic diversity patterns,including temperature,precipitation,vegetation,human influence,longitude and altitude range.Similar to the pattern of species richness,the nucleotide diversity pattern of passerine birds in the Mountains of Southwest China presents a decreasing trend from southwest to northeast,while the haplotype diversity pattern is more likely decreased from west to east.Our results indicate that the distribution pattern of genetic diversity may be derived from the complex topography and diverse microclimates in the Mountains of Southwest China.

The influence of urban park characteristics on bird diversity in Nanjing, China

Background:Habitat loss,fragmentation and decrease of habitat quality caused by urbanization have led to a dramatic decline in biodiversity worldwide.For highly urbanized areas,parks have become“islands”or habitat fragments for wildlife.As an important indicator group of urban ecosystem health,the response of birds to urbanization has attracted the global attention of ecologists.Understanding the key factors affecting bird diversity in urbanized environment is crucial to the protection of biodiversity in urban ecosystems.Methods:We used the line-transect method to survey birds in 37 urban parks in Nanjing,China.We also measured a number of park characteristics(area,isolation,shape index,environmental noise,distance to city center,and habitat diversity)that are commonly assumed to influence bird diversity.We then used the information-theoretic multi-model inference approach to determine which park characteristics had significant impacts on bird species richness.Results:We found that park area,habitat diversity and the distance to city center were the best positive predictors of bird species richness in Nanjing urban parks.By contrast,park isolation,park shape and environmental noise had little or no influence on bird diversity.Conclusions:Our study highlights the importance of park area,habitat diversity and the distance to city center in determining bird diversity in Nanjing city parks.Therefore,from a conservation viewpoint,we recommend that large parks with complex and diverse habitats far away from the city center should be retained or constructed to increase bird diversity in urban design and planning.

Landscape structure and bird's diversity in the rural areas of Taiwan

This study tries to discuss the relationship between landscape structure and organisms in the perspective of landscape architecture. The research hypotheses were then proposed as (1) there are relationships between landscape structure indexes and birds' diversity in the rural areas of Taiwan; (2) the relationships between landscape structure and birds' diversity will be different in different hierarchical levels. In order to increase the bird species, landscape planners could tries to increase the density of water bodies, but decrease the farms and human planted woods. Decrease the density of constructed and human planted grasslands. Increase the area of un-worked acres, natural grasslands, and the area of water bodies and circular the water bodies and natural forest. In order to increase birds' diversity, landscape planners could decrease the concentration of paved areas. Concentrate the human planted trees to increase the core areas of woodlands. Increase the area of natural grassland circular. In order to increase the total number of birds in the planning areas, landscape planners could scattered the paved areas and lengthen the constructed areas. Decreases the core region of the constructed areas. Increase the area of un-worked acres and water bodies. Decrease the disturbance of both the interior area of natural and human planted woodlands and try to increase the density of water bodies.;The analysis results showed that the small grain size indexes are more suitable for the rural areas of Taiwan to capture the influential factors of bird communities. The high fragmentation of land usages in Taiwan lessens the influences of the regional landscape pattern.

Comparing community birdwatching and professional bird monitoring with implications for avian diversity research: a case study of Suzhou, China

Background:In the past decades,birdwatching as a hobby developed rapidly and produced ample scientific records that have aided conservation efforts.Therefore,it is increasingly attractive to promote avian research by providing data from birdwatching.Methods:We compared records from 16 years of community birdwatching and a 1-year formalized bird monitoring in Suzhou,China to study the similarities and differences between the two monitoring methods.Results:We showed that within the 325 bird species recorded by the two methods,an annual average of 108 species were documented by community science and 223 bird species were recorded by 1-year formalized monitoring.Measured by the number of bird species recorded per survey trip,the bird monitoring activity of community birdwatchers was significantly lower.Furthermore,the monitoring intensity of community birdwatching measured as the average survey trips per site each survey year was also lower than that of formalized bird monitoring.In addition,community birdwatchers preferred urban landscapes to rural areas.Conclusions:Community birdwatching could record the majority of local birds and complements the professional surveys in avian research.Well designed and coordinated community science can be used to expand the knowledge about avian distribution and population dynamics.These findings are critical for the development of conservation science with regard to community involvement.

FOREST LANDSCAPE AND BIRD DIVERSITY IN MOUNTAIN REGION, XISHUANGBANNA, YUNNAN

The degeneration of forest landscapes is mainly caused by human impact on the natural environment, which is posing a great threat to biodiversity. We studied the relationship between forest landscapes and birds in mountain regions of Xishuangbanna,Yunnan Province. In Jinuo ethnic region, forest landscape is degenerating, and bird diversity is reducing as a result of human influence. However, in Hani ethnic region of Mengsong area, a comparative study area, there are also traditional practices of agriculture and forestry. The traditional practices are dynamically adaptive to local geographic environment and social economic conditions. A great deal of biodiversity exists in the place where people have lived for many generations and use the resources of environment in a sustainable manner. Considering bird diversity and forest landscape of mountainous area, both economic and ecological benefits should be taken into account, which relate to land use and landscape protection. Biodiversity conservation, resource management and policy making should pay much attention to the best interconnection of land use and landscapes protection.

Patterns and drivers of avian taxonomic and phylogenetic beta diversity in China vary across geographical backgrounds and dispersal abilities

Geographical background and dispersal ability may strongly influence assemblage dissimilarity;however,these aspects have generally been overlooked in previous large-scale beta diversity studies.Here,we examined whether the patterns and drivers of taxonomic beta diversity(TBD)and phylogenetic beta diversity(PBD)of breeding birds in China vary across(1)regions on both sides of the Hu Line,which demarcates China’s topographical,climatic,economic,and social patterns,and(2)species with different dispersal ability.TBD and PBD were calculated and partitioned into turnover and nestedness components using a moving window approach.Variables representing climate,habitat heterogeneity,and habitat quality were employed to evaluate the effects of environmental filtering.Spatial distance was considered to assess the impact of dispersal limitation.Variance partitioning analysis was applied to assess the relative roles of these variables.In general,the values of TBD and PBD were high in mountainous areas and were largely determined by environmental filtering.However,different dominant environmental filters on either side of the Hu Line led to divergent beta diversity patterns.Specifically,climate-driven species turnover and habitat heterogeneity-related species nestedness dominated the regions east and west of the line,respectively.Additionally,bird species with stronger dispersal ability were more susceptible to environmental filtering,resulting in more homogeneous assemblages.Our results indicated that regions with distinctive geographical backgrounds may present different ecological factors that lead to divergent assemblage dissimilarity patterns,and dispersal ability determines the response of assemblages to these ecological factors.Identifying a single universal explanation for the observed pattern without considering these aspects may lead to simplistic or incomplete conclusions.Consequently,a comprehensive understanding of large-scale beta diversity patterns and effective planning of conservation strategies necessitate the consideration of both geographical background and species dispersal ability.

Integrity and Size of Green Spaces Are Critical for the Functional Di-versity of Birds:Evidence from the Eastern and Northwestern Regions of China

Urbanization often changes bird species richness and affects the functional diversity.Therefore,understanding these changes helps city planners improve green space design and land use planning.Our study used multiple datasets to explore the effects of land-scape patterns and natural environments on the functional diversity of birds in urban parks and campuses in the eastern and northwest-ern regions of China.Firstly,we used the data to calculate birds of the functional richness(FRic),functional evenness(FEve),and functional divergence(FDiv)of 68 urban spaces in the eastern and northwestern regions of China.Further,we established generalized linear models of natural factors,human factors,and functional diversity.Results showed more bird species with unique traits were in the north-western region.This may be because the earlier urbanization in the eastern region filtered out urban-sensitive species,leaving behind urban adapters.Moreover,we found that the fractal dimension index was the most significant positive factor of FRic in the eastern region but the most significant negative factor of FDiv.Elevation was the most significant negative influence factor of FEve in the eastern region,but it was the most potent positive influence factor of FRic in the northwestern region.Population density had a significant positive effect on FDiv in the northwestern region.However,green space areas significantly negatively impacted FEve in the northwestern region.In addition,birds in parks in both regions had more functional traits than those on campuses,possibly because of the larger green space in parks,which may contain more fragments of native vegetation and reduce human interference.Our study suggests that preserving more original vegetation and reducing human disturbance in cities can increase the functional diversity of urban birds and im-prove urban ecosystem functions.

Impact of agricultural landscape structure on the patterns of bird species diversity at a regional scale

The loss of bird species diversity is a crucial problem in the European agricultural landscape.Change in the area coverage of major land cover types has been mentioned as one of the main factors responsible for bird biodiversity impoverishment.In this study,we focused on the impact of landscape matrix characteristics on bird species richness and on Faith’s phylogenetic diversity index on a spatial scale of 1000-m radius around the measured occurrence points.We investigated how land cover composition affects bird diversity on the landscape scale using nationwide citizen science data.In total,168,739 records of bird occurrence in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic during growing season from 2009 to 2019 were evaluated.We found that the presence of water bodies and wetlands significantly corresponded to the areas of highest bird species richness.We also revealed that the presence of forests(~60%of the forest in the Czech Republic is occupied by commercial forests),urban areas and arable land were negatively associated with bird species richness and phylogenetic diversity.Forests(both coniferous and deciduous)and urban habitats were found to have a tendency to host a clustered phylogenetic community structure in comparison with wetland and arable land.A strong negative association between forest proportion and bird diversity led us to conclude that the expansion of the forest(with simple species composition,horizontal and vertical structure)could be one of the critical drivers of the decline of bird species diversity in the European agricultural landscape.On the other hand,our results also pointed out that small woody features(i.e.,woodlots)and scattered woodland shrub vegetation were one of the main landscape characteristics supporting a bird diversity in rural landscape.This is in concordance with other studies which mention these landscape structures as important elements for nesting and foraging of farmland birds.We thus recommend to maintain and restore scattered trees or woodlots with complex structure in agricultural landscape.

Bird Diversity and Threaten to Their Habitat in Sathurukondan Birding Site in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka

Sathurukondan situated within the urban area of Batticaloa and adjacent to Batticaloa lagoon. This area lies in the migrant route disperse from the entry points from Eastern and Andaman route. This area is locally notable for their bird diversity as well as being a major habitat in Batticaloa. Blooming of urbanization causing drastic reduction of the mangrove forest is the main threat to these birds diversity due to their habitat loss. Considering that, the objective of this study was to determine the taxonomic composition and abundance of water and wading bird in this area. Point transact method was used to count the birds, and the counting was taken monthly. A total of 8,893 records of 65 species representing 36 families were recorded from July 2015 to July 2016. Simpson＇s diversity index and Shannon index in this area are about 0.95 and 3.34, respectively, showing the high diversity of this area. Migrant birds, such as common sandpiper （Actitis hypoleucos L.）, marsh sandpiper （Tringa stagnatilis B.）, common greenshank （Tringa nebularia G.） and other important species, such as lesser adjutant （Leptoptilos javanicus H.）, spot-bill pelican （Pelecanus philippensis G.） and near threatened jungle owlet （Glaucidium radiatum T.） were noted. This area contributes notably to the local avian biodiversity and has the ecotourism potential. It conceals the need of the conservation of this area.

The Current Status of Bird Diversity in Yunnan Province

Yunnan is the richest province in bird species in China.Seven hundred and ninety-two species of birds were recorded in Yunnan before 1994,accounted for 63.6% of the records in China.Among them,one hundred and twenty-seven species were very rare,two hundred and eighty-eight species were rare,two hundred and fourty-two species were common and thirty-five species were large in number.In China,Podargidae and Hemiprocnidae were only recorded in Yunnan,Trogonidae,Bucerotidae,Eurylaimidae,Pittidae,Campephagidae,Irenidae,Dicruridae,Timaliinae,Dicaeidae and Nectariniidae mainly distributed in Yunnan,and one hundred and twelve species were only recorded from Yunnan.One hundred and thirty-six species belonged to the nation’s prior protected wildlife.Their status in Yunnan were:five species extinct,seven species endangered,five species vulnerable,ninety-eight species rare and twenty-one species common.Twenty-five species were listed in 1988 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals.Anser anser and A.indicus were the rovince’s prior protected birds.Thirty nature reserves have played an important role in protecting birds and their habitats,especially Xishuangbanna,Gaoligongshan,Ailaoshan and Wuliangshan.The public education about the protection of birds and their habitats has been made universal since 1982.It is important to protect their habitats both inside and Outside nature reserves and recover of destroyed habitats.Illegal hunting and capturing must be prohibited,breeding of economic birds in captivity should be started,and the education concerning the protection of birds and their habitats must be continued.

Recent Data on Birds of Kinshasa in Democratic Republic of Congo

The study aimed at understanding the current avifauna characteristics, like composition, species diversity and evolution, in the city of Kinshasa. The study was conducted from 2006 to 2014, using observation, photography and Japanese nets. Results of the study indicate that there are 131 species of birds, which represents 40 families and 16 orders. Avifauna of Kinshasa represents 11% of species of the all country. Among those species, 12 are new. Passerines are the most, representing 86 species and 21 families, and are the most diversified. Few species have extended their geographical distribution and some are migratory. Overtime, avian fauna of Kinshasa region has undergone a lot of changes in its composition and diversity. Horizontal extension of the city associated with the consecutive various changes of the habitats seems to be the principal factors which modulate those characteristics. However, the study found that the majority of these species were under precarious statute of conservation.

Relationship between Vegetation Height and Species Richness of Birds in Some Wetlands of Sinnar State, Sudan

Objectives of this study were to: identify the relationship between vegetationhigheit and birds’ species at various wetlands of Sinnar State;This study was conducted in Sinnar state, central Sudan (Latitudes 05º -12º to 05º -14º N and longitudes 32.9º - 35.4º E), covering 12 wetlands(mayas) during the wet and the dry season duration 2011 - 2013;thewetlands are Ronga, Allahmaana, Gladeem, Elban, Rahad Kobri 45,Lawni, Kinnaf Tura 5, Rigaba, Shamiya, Wad elggack, Homrani andSinnar Dam reservoir. The study focused on abundance of herbaceousvegetation, Parameters of herbaceous vegetation were determined at50-m intervals along line transects;these parameters were plant countsand vegetation height in a 1-m circular quadrat. Birds were countedtwice a day (morning and evening) in all wetlands with the help of telescopesand binoculars, and species utilizing each site of the wetlandsare identified. Excel programme was used for data analysis. Vegetationheight is negatively correlated with birds’ species richness in wet seasonsof 2011 - 2012 and 2012 - 2013, positively correlated in the dryseason when herbaceous vegetation is tall, but negatively correlatedwhen it is short.

Bird Habitats in Urban Environments: A Case from an Urban Landfill in and around Tayba Al Hasanab Landfill, Khartoum, Sudan

Managed open landfill sites can serve as crucial feeding grounds for birds. Studies have demonstrated that garbage dumps offer favorable feeding habitats for various trophic generalist species, including storks and scavenger raptors. This study aimed to assess bird diversity and abundance in and around Tayba Al Hasanab Landfill, Khartoum. A bird census was conducted using block counts in January 2021. A questionnaire complemented field observations, and interviews were conducted with landfill authorities and waste collectors to gather information on bird availability, numbers, and diversity. During the block counts, 23 bird species were recorded inside and around the landfill. These species directly relied on food resources available at and around the landfill, belonging to 8 orders and 11 families. The four most abundant species foraging at the landfill were Sparrow House (Passer domesticus) with 97 individuals, Black kite (Milvus migrans) with 67 individuals, cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis) with 42 individuals, and Laughing Dove (Spilopelia senegalensis) with 36 individuals. This suggests that these species are the primary exploiters of food resources at the landfill. The results indicate that all species are considered least concerned except the Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus), which is classified as endangered. Most of the interviewed individuals reported seeing birds in the study area. The study recorded instances of dead birds, such as a white stork colliding and being electrocuted with a transition line observed at different sites along transmission lines near the landfill. Surveys around Tayba landfill need to be conducted to identify deadly power lines for replacement or implement possible mitigation measures on power lines running parallel and close to the Tayba landfills. The avian community foraging at the landfill displayed fluctuations in abundance and interspecific interactions across seasons. Given that the substantial influx of birds to landfills can pose various environmental challenges in urban settings, this study underscores the significance of examining the seasonal dynamics of bird communities concerning the location and management of landfills.

日喀则和平机场鸟类群落结构及鸟击防范

本研究旨在探究日喀则和平机场及周边区域的鸟类群落结构,为和平机场鸟击防范工作提供理论基础;使用样点法及样线法,调查研究区域内的鸟类群落结构,日喀则和平机场调查共记录鸟类11目29科70种,按照区系组成划分有古北界鸟类47种,广布种鸟类13种,东洋界鸟类10种;按照居留型组成划分有留鸟41种,冬候鸟20种,夏候鸟9种;从分布广度上看广性分布鸟类21种,中性分布鸟类18种,狭性分布鸟类23种;和平机场全年7种生境中,灌丛的多样性指数最高为2.52,村庄的多样性指数最低为1.22;非繁殖季期间,机场场区的香农威纳(Shannon-Wiener)多样性指数最高为1.97,草地生境最低为0.96,繁殖季期间灌丛的多样性指数最高为2.57,村庄最低为0.86;日喀则和平机场全年鸟类的危险指数≥25的鸟种数有10种,危险指数在15-25之间的有10种,斑头雁(124.47)、赤麻鸭(78.68)、岩鸽(49.55)为危险指数最高的三种鸟类;非繁殖季期间鸟类的危险指数≥25的鸟种数有11种,鸟类危险指数在15-25之间的有4种,斑头雁(135.19)、赤麻鸭(76.50)、红隼(56.69)为非繁殖季危险指数最高的鸟种;繁殖季期间鸟类的危险指数≥25的鸟种数有10种,鸟类危险指数在15-25之间的有6种,赤麻鸭(58.67)、山斑鸠(56.92)、岩鸽(52.57)为繁殖季危险指数最高的鸟种。