Avifauna Species Diversity and Abundance in Kainji Lake ‎National Park, Niger State, Nigeria

The dearth of understanding the importance of bird species diversity and abundance contributes to the low rate of conservation and distribution of wildlife species in the ecosystem. Diversity and abundance are equally important factors for improving the ecological system. This study examined bird species diversity and abundance in Borgu Sector of Kainji Lake National Park, Niger State, Nigeria. Line transect method was used to carry out birds’ survey at five different tracks, namely: Hussaini Mashi, Gilbert Child, Bukar Shuaib, Shehu Shagari and Mahmud Lapai Tracks. Data were obtained on birds’ species and abundance through the use of point count for bird survey. Frequency counts, percentages, means, Shannon-Weiner diversity Index, Simpson’s Diversity Index, Analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to analyse data. A total number of 70 bird species in 31 families were recorded during the survey. Shannon-Weiner diversity Index results showed that Mahmud Lapai track had the highest diversity (4.185) compared to Hussaini Mashi (3.726), Gilbert Child (3.928), Shehu Shagari (4.106) and Bukar Shuaib (4.135) tracks respectively. The results also indicated that bird species diversity was not equally distributed in the tracks. ANOVA showed that bird species abundance was normally distributed and varied significantly (p < 0.05) among the study sites. The study concluded that bird species diversity and abundance are key contributors to a healthy ecological system. Birds are good indicators of the biological network thereby revealing the status of the park environmental degradation. The study recommended that stakeholders should improve on the enactment, legislation and enforcement of laws that will safeguard areas where fauna and flora are effectively conserved