Composition and Diversity of Bird Community in the Chemoga Wetland and the Associated Human-Modified Landscapes, East Gojjam, Ethiopia

Abstract

Wetlands and their surrounding habitats are rich in avian communities. However, the desire for human needs has degraded these ecosystems. The current study was carried out in the Chemoga wetland and its associated human-modified landscapes in East Gojjam, Ethiopia, during both the dry and wet seasons from December 2020 to August 2021. The study aims to investigate the species composition and diversity of the bird community. A line transect sampling technique was used in the human-modified landscapes, whereas the total counting method was used to study the wetland habitat. PAST software and Microsoft Excel were used for data analysis. Using a paired diversity T-test, the effect of seasons and habitats on species richness and abundance was compared. In total, 3890 individuals, 76 species, 31 families, and 13 orders were recorded from the studied habitats. Our results showed that the Chemoga wetland with low human disturbance had a greater number of birds and abundance than the human-modified habitats at $P$  < 0.05. Moreover, in both wet and dry seasons, the Chemoga wetland ( $P$  < 0.05) shows significant difference in the abundance of avian species. But, in the human-modified habitat, there is no significant difference in the abundance of avian species ( $P$  > 0.05). The majority of birds scored frequent and common on the ordinal scale in both habitats and seasons. This study confirms that the studied habitats are important for the conservation of birds. Conservation measures are thus required to limit disturbances and foster species survival in the area.