Assessment of avifaunal assemblage and their distribution pattern across different habitat types of Gibe Sheleko National Park, South-western Ethiopia

This study was conducted in Gibe Sheleko National Park from March to August 2015 covering wet and dry seasons. Sampling sites were taken based on the habitat characteristics and a transect line of 1 or less km with a distance of 250 to 300 m in between the transect lines was taken in the woodland habitat and point count was used in the riverine forest habitat. A total of 116 bird species consisting of 2 endemics to both Ethiopia and Eritrea were recorded. The riverine habitat had higher species number (100 species, H’= 3.00) and diversity during both seasons than the woodland habitat (84 species). The number of species during the dry season (111) was higher than during the wet season (105). The variation in avifauna species number between the two habitats was not significant. However, there was a significant variation in abundance of birds between habitats (t=1.418, P<0.05 and df=1) during both seasons. The relative abundance of each species in the two habitat types was different, where the number of rare and frequent birds is somewhat higher than the other abundance ranks. Generally, avifauna species richness, diversity and relative abundance including their distribution between habitats were determined by the availability of food, vegetation structure and season. Moreover, the area is under severe pressure exacerbated by human-induced factors such as the expansion of agricultural investments, illegal settlement as well as deforestation. Therefore, significant conservation and management undertakings are very essential to maintain the biodiversity of the Park for present and future. Key words: Avifauna, Gibe Sheleko National Park, deforestation, habitat characteristics, relative abundance.