BIRD SPECIES DIVERSITY IN RICE FIELDS IN NORTHERN NIGERIA

Abstract

Rice serves as food for more than half of the human population globally. Despite the rapid expansion of farmlands for rice cultivation to meet the needs of the growing human population, avian utilization of rice fields remains largely unexplored, particularly in northern Nigeria. We aimed to explore the bird species abundance and richness of rice fields in the popular agricultural town of Kura, located in the southern Kano, Nigeria. We conducted bird surveys at some selected rice fields using the line transect method in the early morning hours between 7 am and 10 am. Data was collected during the wet and dry seasons (2018-2019). About 13,058 individual birds belonging to 66 species and 33 families were documented. There was no significant seasonal variation in bird species abundance and richness. The species were classified as residents (83%), Palearctic migrants (14%), and Intra-African Migrants (3%). The six most diverse families were Ardeidae, Ploceidae, Rallidae, Falconidae, Estrildidae, and Accipitridae. The majority of the bird species recorded utilized the rice fields for foraging and roosting. Future agricultural intensification could negatively influence avian species; we therefore recommend the adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices by rice farmers in Northern Nigeria.