Habitat Association of an Open Country Bird (Superb Starling) in a Human and Livestock Dominated Landscape, Central Tanzania
Joseph Michael
Department of Wildlife Management, Sokoine University of Agriculture, P.O. Box3073, Morogoro, Tanzania
Robert B Modest
Department of Wildlife Management, Sokoine University of Agriculture, P.O. Box3073, Morogoro, Tanzania
46-55
Vol: 7, Issue: 2, 2017
Receiving Date:
2017-02-15
Acceptance Date:
2017-04-02
Publication Date:
2017-04-29
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Abstract
Sustainable conservation of wildlife, particularly during this era of climate change is challenging in absence of sufficient environmental data. For Superb Starling, fine scale habitat association data remain anecdote, and this brings challenges in managing the species as it is hard to tell at what level of habitat association is the threshold for its persistence. A study on Superb Starling habitat association was carried out in Igunga District, Tanzania. The aim was to determine the parameters that are important in influencing its habitat use within woodland and open scrub landscapes. Birds were surveyed along strip transects, and the bird-habitat association models were built using the R software. Four environmental parameters namely; “percent grazed land”, “percent shrub cover”, “percent grass cover”, and “wind” were the most important in influencing the Superb Starling habitat selection pattern. The study concluded that, grazing by ungulates within the woodlands and open scrubs of central Tanzania is an important factor in determining persistence of the Super Starling. The study recommended follow-up research to determine the nature of association of Superb Starling with abandoned bomas (areas for overnight containment of livestock) as these are reported to be important in influencing its habitat use elsewhere in east Africa.
Keywords:
Lamprotornis superbus; Woodlands; Scrubs; Igunga; Akaike Information Criterion.
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