Abstract:
This study was conducted to assess the diversity and relative abundance of bird species in Sheko district, Bench Maji Zone, southwest Ethiopia. The study covered thee habitat types: forest, human settlement and farmland. Sampling sites were assigned based on the area cover of the habitat types. Point count method in the forest and line transects method in human settlement and farmlands were used to collect data. A total of 118 avian species belonging to 41 families and 13 orders were identified throughout the study period. In the wet season, the highest species diversity was recorded in human settlement (H’=3.63) followed by the forest (H’=3.51). During the dry season, avian diversity was the highest in forest (H’=3.39) followed by farmland (H’=3.35). The species composition of birds among the three habitats showed significant variation, but there was no significant difference between seasons. High species similarity was seen between human settlement and farmland (SI=0.55) followed by forest and human settlement (SI=0.48) and the lowest species similarity was observed between farmland and Forest (SI=0.43). Long term ecological study and awareness creation about the values of birds to the local community were recommended.
