Community Structure and Species Diversity of Birds in Heterogenous Habitats of an East African Growing Agricultural Corridor

Abstract

Species conservation mainly depends on the conservation of their habitats where an understanding of the role that habitats have in supporting species diversity and richness is important. This study aimed to determine how heterogeneous habitats in growing agriculture corridors support the biodiversity of birds in terms of their diversity and abundance. We assessed the diversity, richness and abundance of bird species in six different habitats: miombo woodland, montane forests, lowland forests, agro‐ecosystems, wetland and riverine in Tanzania's growing agriculture corridor. We assumed that heterogeneous habitats significantly influence species abundance, richness and diversity. We recorded 299 bird species which were categorised into 10 trophic guilds. Among the guilds, invertebrate‐eating (52%) was the species‐rich guild and nectarivore (1%), herbivore aquatic (0.67%), herbivore terrestrial (0.67%) and scavenger (0.34%) were the least guilds in terms of species richness, abundance and diversity. The six habitats differed in terms of bird species richness, abundance and diversity; miombo woodlands had the highest levels of diversity. There was an even distribution of birds, despite the fact that wetlands and agro‐ecosystems had few species reported there. A number of endangered bird species were recorded in habitats with minimum disturbance. These species include Gyps africanus (CR), Ardeola idea, Polemaetus bellicosus and Terathopius ecaudatus (EN). In order to implement effective conservation measures for corridors and heterogeneous habitats, we advocate proper land use, conservation‐friendly agriculture and the implementation of conservation connectivity on small and large scales.