Study Reveals Impact of Habitat Disturbance on West African Bird Communities

A study has revealed that habitat disturbance is reshaping bird communities in West Africa, underscoring the need for long-term monitoring and stronger engagement with local communities to safeguard biodiversity.

Researchers surveyed bird species along disturbed and undisturbed woodland edges using point transect methods, providing rare ecological insights from the Tula Mountains Woodland (TMW) in northeastern Nigeria.

Published in the African Journal of Ecology, the study found that continued disturbance in the woodland is likely to favour granivorous (grain-feeding) birds while reducing suitable habitat for insectivorous woodland specialists.

The study cautioned that if current disturbance trends persist without mitigation, they could have far-reaching consequences for bird community structure, prompting deeper reflection on the long-term impacts on avian diversity in the area.

It also revealed that some frugivorous (fruit-feeding) and nectarivorous (nectar-feeding) species utilised both disturbed and undisturbed habitats, indicating more generalist behaviour.

However, the decline in insectivorous (insects-feeding) species in disturbed areas raises concerns about their long-term survival should habitat degradation intensify.

Researchers, including CANR’s Prof. Collins Ayine Nsor, suggest that insectivorous birds, being more sensitive to disturbance, should be used as focal species in future assessments of habitat disturbance impacts.