TITLE:
Avian Diversity in Nyangezi Wetlands: The Case of Nyamubanda Swamp in the Territory of Walungu, Sud-Kivu, Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo
AUTHORS:
Gabriel Baguma, Cirhalwirwa Oliva Mugoli, Mirindi Pascal Murhula, Ngabo Vianney Mulema, Legrand Cirimwami
KEYWORDS:
Avian Diversity, Nyangezi Wetlands, Habitat Types, Nyamubanda Swamp
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Access Library Journal,
Vol.10 No.4,
April
28,
2023
ABSTRACT: In this work, we assessed the diversity of bird species in the Nyamubanda swamp in Nyangezi, Walungu Territory, Sud-Kivu Province in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Field observations with binoculars with optical magnification 10 × 42.6 and capture with mist nets allowed us to explore four habitats: Papyrus, Sorghum fields, Woody landscape and Rice fields. A total of 203 individuals belonging to 27 species and regrouped in 19 families and 8 orders were found. The distribution of abundance of birds in the four plants’ habitats was statistically equal (χ2 = 0.884; df = 3; p-value = 0.829). Correspondence Analysis (CA) with 80.2% for the two first axes showed that the rice and papyrus landscapes are close in diversity in terms of species richness. A connection between these two habitats means that species frequent in rice rest in papyrus. This demonstrates that cereal cultivation in Nyamubanda swamp has an impact on the avifauna biodiversity. Future works should focus on the seasonality and diet of these birds with ecological approaches as well as crop cultivation stages to deepen the understanding of the wetland bird diversity in the Nyangezi swamps.