Diversity and relative abundance of avifauna in and around aba-jifar airport and their potential threat on the aviation activities Jimma, Ethiopia

Abstract

Birds are components of biodiversity that play a vital role as bio indicator, however they also pose substantial hazard to air craft safeties. Study on species diversity and relative abundance of birds in and around Jimma Aba-Jifar Airport, Jimma and their impact on aviation industry was conducted from February to April, 2020(dry season) and from June to August, 2020 (wet season). Both point and transect count methods were employed to record bird species composition and their abundance. Observation was conducted by periodically walking along the study area early in the morning and late in the afternoon. Bird species diversity and their attractant feature were investigated. Diversity indices of birds in three study sites were calculated using the Shannon Wiener diversity index. A total of 49 bird species belonging to 10 order and 25 families were recorded from all study sites. The highest number of species was recorded from the Airport compounds (39 and 42 species) during dry and wet season respectively; and the least number was recorded from the wetland habitat (14 species) in each season. Bird species diversity was highest in Airport compound (H'=3.49 and H'=3.57) during dry and wet season respectively. In contrast, the lowest species diversity was recorded in the wetland (H’=2.47and H’= 2.58) during dry and wet season respectively. Individual bird species were evenly distributed in each study sites during wet and dry seasons. There were no injuries or fatalities reported because of bird strikes during the study period in the study area. However; due to the presence of natural (water, grassland, vegetation) and manmade (waste dumping site, buildings and light pole) bird attractant features in and around the airport, different species of bird including hazardous birds that pose potential hazard to aircraft safety were recorded. Therefore, applying effective bird control method is recommended in order to control bird of Jimma Aba Jifar Airport.