Bird Species Richness and Diversity in Armyworms Infested Maize Plots in Olabel Farms, Southwestern Nigeria Bird Species Richness and Diversity in Armyworms Infested Maize Plots in Olabel Farms, Southwestern Nigeria

Abstract

This research examined the Bird Species Richness and Diversity in Armyworms Infested Maize Plots in Olabel Farms, Southwestern Nigeria. Survey Method: Point count method was used to collect data on bird species richness and diversity in the study area. In all five counting stations were used and counting bands of the 50 m radius were used for all the stations. One counting station per plot was used for this study. On arrival at the sites, birds were allowed time to settle before recording all the birds seen or heard for a predetermined time usually, 20 minutes. Bird calls were also recorded with a voice recorder and played back later for confirmation. Results: A total of 77 bird species belonging to 10 orders and 32 families were encountered in the study area; the order Passeriformes constituted the highest number of bird species in the study area. The family with the largest number of bird species is Accipitridae (n = 7). The composition of bird species obtained in this research revealed that it was not only insectivorous bird species that were encountered in the maize plots but also granivorous and frugivorous bird species that were present on the farm. They probably were feeding on the armyworms as protein supplements. From the results obtained, the relative abundance of the bird species in the study area indicated that Ploceus cucullatus has the highest of relative has abundance (0.0825) while the following bird species have the lowest relative abundance: Egretta intermedia (0.055), Streptopelia semitorquata (0.0325), and Vanellus lugubris (0.03). The Shannon_H diversity index was relatively higher (3.992) during wet season than dry season (3.661) when compared.