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Birds of fragmented woodlandsadjacent to protected areas,significance for conservation inEthiopiaWelegerima Kirosa, Solomon Kirosa & Yonas Meheretuab

a Department of Biology, Mekelle University, P.O. Box 3179,Mekelle, Ethiopiab Evolutionary Ecology Group, University of Antwerp,Groenenborgerlaan 171 BE-2020, Antwerp, BelgiumPublished online: 03 Apr 2014.

To cite this article: Welegerima Kiros, Solomon Kiros & Yonas Meheretu (2014) Birds of fragmentedwoodlands adjacent to protected areas, significance for conservation in Ethiopia, InternationalJournal of Environmental Studies, 71:2, 173-181, DOI: 10.1080/00207233.2014.902189

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Birds of fragmented woodlands adjacent toprotected areas, significance for conservation in

Ethiopia

WELEGERIMA KIROS†, SOLOMON KIROS† AND YONAS MEHERETU*†‡

†Department of Biology, Mekelle University, P.O. Box 3179, Mekelle, Ethiopia; ‡EvolutionaryEcology Group, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171 BE-2020, Antwerp, Belgium

Avifauna studies and conservation efforts in Africa have focused on protected areas. Habitats out-side of protected areas also support a variety of bird species. A survey of avian diversity was con-ducted in northern Ethiopia in three fragmented woodland areas dominated by human activities,adjacent to Important Bird Areas. Overall, 85 bird species belonging to 32 families were sighted inthe three localities, including five species endemic to Ethiopia and eight Afrotropical highlandbiome species. Such diverse bird assemblages in the localities show the significance of habitats out-side of protected areas for future avian research and conservation in Ethiopia. These habitats needto be protected.

Keywords: Birds; Unprotected woodlands; Conservation; Ethiopia

Introduction

Ethiopia has varied topography, ranging from the Denakel depression, approximately 100m below sea level in the north-east, through the Great African Rift Valley dissecting thecountry from north-east to the south, to the Afro-Alpine Ecosystems (>3700 m above sealevel (a.s.l)) in the north-western, central and southern highlands [1,2]. Several authors citethe variations in the country’s topography as one of the reasons for high faunal and floraldiversity and endemism [3,4]. Ethiopia has one of the richest bird resources in the Africancontinent, with about 69 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) identified [5] and over 900 bird spe-cies recorded including 21 endemics [6]. The country hosts several important resting andfeeding areas for millions of migrant birds crossing the Sahara Desert [7].

In tropical forests, the diversity and composition of avian species vary in response toreduced tree cover and simplified vegetation structure [8–10]. Hence, avian diversity is oftenused as one of the most important indicators of habitat quality [7,11]. Generally, higher aviandiversities are considered as indicators of ‘healthy habitats’. Several studies indicate thatavian diversity has declined in Africa in recent decades, mainly through loss and fragmenta-tion of foraging habitats and nesting sites brought about by deforestation for new settlements,agricultural expansion and logging [12–15]. These activities are intensifying due to increasedhuman population and demand for forest resources. There is an urgent need to curb theseimpacts to ensure the sustainability of avian habitats and the animals in them [16].

*Corresponding author. Email: meheretu.yonas@mu.edu.et

© 2014 Taylor & Francis

International Journal of Environmental Studies, 2014Vol. 71, No. 2, 173–181, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00207233.2014.902189

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The first step towards achieving the goal of biodiversity conservation in threatened habi-tats is to obtain baseline information on the biodiversity as well as existing and prospectivethreats [9]. Most bird conservation efforts in Africa are concentrated in protected areas[17–21]. Several reports have emphasized the importance of habitats outside of protectedareas, but there have been few surveys of these sites. Such surveys can identify areaswhich merit protection both at national and global levels [22,23].

There are a few isolated reports of bird species diversity outside of protected areas inEthiopia [24–26], although there is better documentation of birds in protected areas[27–29]. Comprehensive baseline information is lacking even for several of the endemicbird species. The situation of birds in the Tigray province, northern Ethiopia, is very littleknown because of decades of civil war in the province. Bird conservation efforts in thecountry, compared to neighbouring Kenya and Tanzania, are very scanty.

Here, we report on a bird survey conducted in three localities in the southern lowlandsof Tigray located adjacent to two IBAs, Hugumburda (12o38′ latitude, 39o32′ longitude)and Grat Kassu (12°27′ latitude, 39°30′ longitude) state forests. Our main objective was tolist bird species in remnant Acacia woodlands and to highlight the threats to the existenceof the birds and these habitats. The study is part of a larger project aiming at documentingthe avifauna of the province particularly outside of protected areas, in habitats that arethreatened by human activities.

Methods

Description of the study area

The study was conducted at three localities, Alamata (12°24′ latitude and 39°33′ longitude,1550 m a.s.l), Kukufto (12°34′ latitude and 39°38′ longitude, 1595 m a.s.l) and Woraboyo(12°39′ latitude and 39°39′ longitude, 1623 m a.s.l) (figure 1) along the Alamata-Mehoni-Mekelle highway connecting the Tigray province to the nation’s capital city, Addis Ababa.While Alamata is located about 5 km south of Grat Kassu forest, Kukufto and Woroboyo

Figure 1. Approximate position of the study localities (diagonal lines) in the south of the Tigray province(region), Ethiopia.

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are located about 20 km south-east of Hugumburda forest. Kukufto and Woroboyo arelocated 24 and 34 km to the north-east of Alamata, respectively.

Vegetation along the highway and the surrounding rural villages can be described as frag-mented remnant Acacia woodland comprising mainly Acacia abyssinica Hochst. ex Benth.,A. negrii Pic. Serm. and A. etbaica Schweinf. Other common trees include Balanitesa egyp-tiaca (L.) Del. (Hingot), Cordia africana Lam., C. sinensis Lam., Ziziphus spina-christi (L.)Desf., Ficus sur Forssk. and F. vasta Forssk. The area has been reported as one of the placesin the province where severe deforestation has taken place in recent decades through agricul-tural expansion, grazing, settlement and wood-charcoal production [30,31] (figure 2). Fur-thermore, the highway has been improved since 2010. On the lower slopes and flat areas tothe south and east of the study localities are agricultural fields interspaced with patches ofAcacia woodlands. Major crops cultivated are Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench), Teff(Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter) and Maize (Zea mays L.), mainly during the major rainy sea-son, which runs from April to August. Farmers living in the gorges below Hugumburda for-est cultivate introduced fruits, such as Guava (Psidium guajava L.), Papaya (Carica papayaL.) and Mango (Mangifera indica L.) by diverting seasonal rivers.

Survey

The survey was conducted simultaneously at the three localities from September 2011 toMay 2012 by two observers on foot using binoculars (Celestron, 10 × 50). In each of the

Figure 2. Evidences of deforestation in the study localities. (a) Cut Acacia trees for making wood-charcoal inKukufto, (b) Construction of new wooden house in Woraboyo, (c) A new hut in Woraboyo and (d) An old hut atthe edge of Kukufto (one of the researchers was interviewing the head of the family sitting on an Acacia tree cutfor fire wood).

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study sites, four 1 km long, 100 m wide, transects were laid only on the east side of theroad because the opposite side of the road is dominated by agricultural fields. Census sta-tions were marked out along these transects at an interval of 50 m, and the transects werewalked in opposite directions on alternate visits. Observations were made early in themorning (6:00–10:00 h) and late in the afternoon (16:00–18:30 h). At each census station,we observed for a period of 15 min to ensure that cryptic species were included. Birds dis-turbed while approaching census stations were recorded as present during the census per-iod. Birds flying over census stations from other areas were not recorded. Birds near or onthe highway were also recorded by another long transect (5.4 km on the average) in eachlocality by an observer standing on top of a vehicle driven at low speed along the high-way. Photographs were taken whenever possible to identify birds accurately. Birds wereidentified to species using appropriate field guides [29,32,33].

Results

A total of 85 bird species belonging to 32 families (37% of the total bird families in Ethio-pia), were sighted at the three sites (table 1). Sixty of the bird species were sighted at Ala-mata, 72 at Kukufto and 74 at Woraboyo. The top three families with a greater number ofbird species sighted were Accipitridae (13 species), Ploceidae (nine species) and Columbi-dae (eight species). Thirteen families were represented by a single species each. Eight birdspecies were sighted only at Alamata and three species each only at Kukufto and Wora-boyo. Seven migrant species, including Palearctic and intra-African migrants (e.g. Buteobuteo L., Motacilla alba L., Milvus migrans Boddaert, Terpsiphone viridis Müller andNeophron percnopterus L.), were also sighted (table 1).

Five bird species endemic to Ethiopia were sighted at the three localities, includingRüppell’s Chat (Myrmecocichla melaena Rüppell) and two parrot species. One of these isendemic to Ethiopia (Yellow-faced parrot Poicephalus flavifrons Rüppell) and the other(Black-winged lovebird Agapornis taranta Stanley) is also found in neighbouring Eritrea(table 1). Overall, eight Afrotropical highland biome species were sighted at the studylocalities, five of which were common among the localities. Moreover, three Somali-Masaibiome species were also encountered: Hemprich’s hornbill (Tockus hemprichii Ehrenberg)and Shining sunbird (Cinnyris habessinica Hemprich & Ehrenberg) at the three localitiesand Tiny cisticola (Cisticola nanus Fischer & Reichenow) at both Kukufto and Woraboyo.

Discussion

The area along the highway running from Alamata to Mehoni was once covered withsemi-arid Acacia woodland as part of the Raya Plain [30,31]. The remaining woodland hasbeen considerably altered in recent years by agricultural activities, settlement and wood-charcoal production. In addition to the potential effect of the highway improvementscheme (not yet assessed), we saw signs of continuing deforestation during the field work:remnant Acacia trees cut down, trees and shrubs cleared for farming, new wooden housesbuilt and pits of wood-charcoal production. The occurrence of 85 species of birds in suchlocalities was remarkable, given the size of the area surveyed and the scale of habitat frag-mentation. In the Geba river catchment of central Tigray, a semi-arid region (1800–2000 ma.s.l) about 250 km north-west of Alamata, 170 bird species were encountered, of which52 were exclusive to Acacia-dominated woodlands [24].

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Table 1. List of bird species sighted in the three study localities.

Family name Common name Scientific name Alamata Kukfto Weraboyo

Accipitridae Black kite Milvus migrans*,s √ √ √Hooded vulture Necrosyrtes monachuss √ – –Egyptian vulture Neophron

percnopterus*,s√ – –

White-headed vulture Trigonoceps occipitaliss √ – –African white-backedvulture

Gyps africanuss √ – –

Rüppell’s griffon Gyps rueppellis √ – –Lappet-faced vulture Torgos tracheliotus √ √ √Brown snake eagle Circaetus cinereus √ √ √Dark chanting goshawk Melierax metabates √ √ √Augur buzzard Buteo augur √ √ √Common buzzard Buteo buteo* √ √ √Great sparrowhawk Accipiter melanoleucus – √ –Long-crested eagle Lophaetus occipitalis – √ –

Falconidae Pygmy falcon Polihieraxsemitorquatus

– √ –

Numididae Vulturine guineafowl Acryllium vulturinum – √ √Columbidae Bruce’s green pigeon Treron waalia √ √ √

Speckled pigeon Columba guinea √ √ √Ring-necked dove Streptopeli acapicola √ √ √Red-eyed dove Streptopelia

semitorquata√ √ √

African mourning dove Streptopelia decipiens √ √ √Laughing dove Streptopelia

senegalensis√ √ √

Lemon dove Columba larvata √ – –Dusky Turtle dove Streptopelia lugens √ √ √

Psittacidae Yellow-faced parrot Poicephalus flavifrons✠ √ √ √Black-winged lovebird Agapornis taranta✠ √ √ √

Musophagidae White-bellied go awaybird

Corythaixoidesleucogaster

– √ √

Eastern grey plantaineater

Crinifer zonurus √ √ √

Apodidae African black swift Apus barbatus √ √ √Coliidae Blue-naped mousebird Urocolius macrourus √ – –

Speckled mousebird Colius striatus √ √ √Alcedinidae Grey-headed kingfisher Halcyon leucocephala – – √

Little bee-eater Merops pusillus √ √ √Cinnamon-chested bee-eater

Merops oreobates √ √ √

Coraciidae Abyssinian roller Coracias abyssinica – √ √Rufous-crowned roller Coracias naevia – √ √

Phoeniculidae Green wood-hoopoe Phoeniculus purpureus √ √ √Upupidae African hoopoe Upupa africana √ √ √Bucerotidae African grey hornbill Tockus nasutus √ √ √

Hemprich’s hornbill Tockus hemprichii √ √ √Red-billed hornbill Tockus erythrorhynchus √ √ √Abyssinian groundhornbill

Bucorvus abyssinicus √ √ √

Capitonidae White-headed barbet Lybius leucocephalus √ – √Black-billed barbet Lybius guifsobalito √ – √

(Continued)

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Table 1. (Continued).

Family name Common name Scientific name Alamata Kukfto Weraboyo

Picidae Golden-backedwoodpecker

Dendropicosabyssinicus✠

– – √

Grey woodpecker Dendropicos goertae – – √Hirundinidae Ethiopian swallow Hirundo aethiopica √ √ √

Wire-tailed swallow Hirundo smithii √ √ √Motacillidae Grey wagtail Motacilla cinerea √ √ √

Yellow wagtail Motacilla flava* √ √ √Mountain wagtail Motacilla clara √ √ √White wagtail Motacilla alba* √ √ √

Pycnonotidae Common bulbul Pycnonotus barbatus √ √ √Turdidae African thrush Turdus pelios – √ √

Little rock thrush Monticola rufocinereus – √ √White-winged cliff chat Myrmecocichla

semirufa✠√ – –

Rüppell’s chat Myrmecocichlamelaena✠

– √ √

Sylviidae Barred warbler Sylvia nisoria – √ √Tiny cisticola Cisticola nanus – √ √

Muscicapidae African dusky flycatcher Muscicapaadusta √ √ √Platysteiridae Black-headed batis Batis minor √ √ √Monarchidae African paradise-

flycatcherTerpsiphone viridis* √ √ √

Nectariniidae Variable sunbird Cinnyris venusta √ √ √Tacazze sunbird Nectarinia tacazze √ √ √Marico sunbird Cinnyris mariquensis √ √ √Shining sunbird Cinnyris habessinica √ √ √

Malaconotidae Tropical boubou Laniarius aethiopicus √ √ √Dicruridae Fork-tailed drongo Dicrurus adsimilis – √ √Corvidae Pied crow Corvus albus √ √ √

Fan-tailed raven Corvus rhipidurus √ √ √Somali crow Corvusedithae √ √ √

Sturnidae Greater blue-earedstarling

Lamprotornischalybaeus

√ √ √

Superb starling Lamprotornis superbus √ √ √Rüppell’s long-tailedstarling

Lamprotornispurpuropterus

– √ √

Passeridae Swainson’s sparrow Passer swainsonii √ √ √Ploceidae White-headed buffalo-

weaverDinemelliadinemelli – √ √

Red-billed buffalo-weaver

Bubalornis niger – √ √

Black-headed weaver Ploceus cucullatus √ √ √Lesser masked weaver Ploceus intermedius √ √ √Baglafecht weaver Ploceus baglafecht √ √ √Chestnut weaver Ploceus rubiginosus* √ √ √Red bishop Euplectes fransiscanus √ √ √

Emberizidae Red-cheeked Cordonbleu

Uraeginthus bengalus √ √ √

Red-billed firefinch Lagonosticta senegala √ √ √Cut-throat finch Amadina fasciata √ √ √

Viduidae Village indigobird Vidua chalybeata √ √ √

Notes: ‘√’ indicates encountering of the species in the locality and ‘–’ not. Migrant species are marked by ‘*’, scavengers aremarked by ‘s’ and endemic species by ‘✠’.

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Of the five bird species endemic to Ethiopia, the sighting of the Yellow-faced parrot inthe three localities was remarkable, since this species was described as an Afromontaneyellowwood forest specialist [34]. Previous surveys in the adjacent Grat Kassu andHugumburda forests, both designated as Forest Priority and IBAs in Ethiopia, did notobserve the parrot [27,28]. The vegetation at Grat Kassu can be described as a transitionbetween the lowland woodlands and the highland dry Afromontane forest dominated byAcacia spp. and that of Hugumburda can be described as semi-dry afromontane forestdominated by Juniperus procera (Hochst, ex Endl) [35,36]. Both forests are located at anaverage altitude of 2500 m a.s.l; whereas our study areas are located at an average eleva-tion of 1500 m a.s.l. Yellow-faced parrot was also reported as an Afrotropical highlandbiome species, mainly distributed in the central, south-western and western parts of thecountry [37]. This species was recently sighted in north-western Ethiopia around LakeTana [25]. Our report represents the northern-most distribution of the species to date.

According to a study by the Ethiopian Wildlife and Natural History Society (ENNHS)in association with BirdLife International, the central Ethiopian Highlands Endemic BirdArea is identified by the occurrence of Rüppell’s Chat [27,28]. This range-restricted spe-cies was also detected in the Northern Highlands near Adigrat, in Tigray, about 300 kmnorth of our study localities [27]. We now report the second locality for this species out-side of the central Ethiopian Highlands Endemic Bird Area, suggesting that the range ofRüppell’s Chat is larger than what was known in literature. Another bird species endemicto Ethiopia and Eritrea, the Black-winged lovebird, is widely distributed in forests andwoodlands in north-western and south-eastern Ethiopia, including recent reports in AddisAbaba city and Entoto National Park [26] as well as the Lake Tana area [25]. This love-bird is also found along the Rift valley region, stretching from the south of Eritrea to theeastern Ethiopian region of Harer. It was not a specialist restricted to the Afromontane for-est as described previously [34].

The presence of Afrotropical highland biome species in our study localities could belinked to proximity to Hugumburda and Grat Kassu forests. Previously, 58 bird species,including 12 Afrotropical highland biome species, were sighted in these forests [27,28].The presence of endemic, Afrotropical highland biome and migrant bird species in ourstudy localities emphasizes the importance of habitats outside of the protected area for birdconservation in northern Ethiopia.

Similar bird species were sighted at the three localities (a few restricted to one locality),suggesting that the three localities supported a similar resource base or that there was con-tiguous distribution in the past. Most of the birds listed as specific to each of the localitiesare large predators and rare species. Elsewhere, such species are reported as more sensitiveto habitat fragmentation than other bird species [38–40]. Eleven of the 13 species of rap-tors were scavengers encountered at Alamata. This might be due to the presence of adomestic refuse dumping site on the outskirts of Alamata.

On the basis of our field observations, we believe that many trees have been removedfrom the woodlands. But, habitat fragmentation and disturbance do not necessarily resultin a reduction in bird species diversity. Disturbed and transitional habitats in Australia sup-ported comparatively diverse bird assemblages by creating a mosaic of heterogeneous hab-itats compared to a large block of continuous ‘primary’ rainforest [41]. Further studywould help to determine the effects of habitat fragmentation on the bird species diversityat our localities.

Although the woodlands along the Alamata-Mekoni highway are fragmented, they pro-vide a refuge for a variety of birds. There should be conservation of these habitats, through

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efforts to limit agricultural expansion, settlement and wood-charcoal production. Theseefforts may prevent further loss of foraging and nesting sites. Since both IBAs were estab-lished without buffer zones, assessing other potential localities around the IBAs and estab-lishing buffer zones using maps showing the distribution of the rare and endemic birdswould be appropriate. Buffer zones with limits on human activities could protect thesehabitats.

Acknowledgements

We thank the Department of Biology and College of Natural and Computational Sciencesof Mekelle University for financial support and the Norwegian Agency for DevelopmentCooperation Project (NORAD) for provision of a vehicle for the field work. We wouldalso like to thank the local people and local government offices for allowing the surveyand for useful discussions. Thanks also to Professor Wolfgang Pittroff and the anonymousreviewer.

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