Abstract
The Hadejia–Nguru Wetlands (HNWs) is among the most important wetlands in sub-Saharan Africa by supporting an important number of waterbird populations and human livelihoods. This paper reports the population of waterbird species counted within a five-year survey; 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2020. The data were analyzed using the Pivot Table function in Microsoft Excel and R programming language. Results reveal 1,139,666 individual birds of 93 species from 19 families over the survey period. The average waterbird population was 40,330 individuals in 2015 (species richness, S, 64), 33,281 in 2016 (S = 61), 49,950 in 2018 (S = 64), 40,773 in 2019 (S = 72), and 63,598 in 2020 (S = 70). The bird families with the highest bird species were Accipitridae (18 species), followed by Ardeidae (11 species), then Anatidae and Scolopacidae (10 species each). The three waterbird species with the most population were Dendrocygna viduata, 443, 652 (39%) followed by Spatula querquedula 234,074 (21%) and Calidris pugnax 168,142 (15%), accounting for 75% of the total individual birds recorded. Generally, the waterbird population in the HNWs did not show declines over the survey period even though there was evidence of fluctuation. Four species of conservation concern were recorded; Beaudouin’s Snake Eagle Circaetus beaudouini (Vulnerable), Hooded Vulture Necrosyrtes monachus (Critically endangered), Martial Eagle Polemaetus bellicosus (Vulnerable) and Pallid Harrier Circus macrourus (Near Threatened). The majority of the waterbird populations had a global decreasing population trend, indicating the need for urgent conservation intervention locally. More monitoring and census at a different season of the year and increased awareness of conservation in the wetland would certainly help in the long-term conservation of waterbirds and their habitats. This is especially true because of the significance of the HNWs as a wintering ground and stopover site for Afro-Palearctic migratory waterbirds.
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Data will be made available upon request.
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Acknowledgements
We are most grateful to BirdLife International, Ramsar and Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSBP) for providing fund through the Nigeria Conservation Foundation to undertake these surveys. We appreciate the effort of the Nigeria National Park Service most especially the Dagona Waterfowl Sanctuary of the Chad Basin National Park for providing us with accommodation, rangers, and field vehicle. We are also thankful to the Jigawa State Ministry of Environment for their support during the surveys, especially at Baturia wetlands. We are indebted to the HNWs local communities, in particular, the village heads for their understanding, cooperation, and hospitality during the surveys. Finally, we thank our field assistants; Mamman Bala, Hassan Hassan, Musa Likori, and Late Yusuf Dangina.
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Code used in the inferential statistical aspect of this paper will be available on request.
Funding
This HNW annual waterbird survey was funded by BirdLife International, Ramsar and Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSBP) through the Nigeria Conservation Foundation.
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SIM is responsible for the preparation of the manuscript including data analyses and interpretation. HHJ and JO provided the data. ASR and ILM proof read the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Muhammad, S.I., Junior, H.H., Ringim, A.S. et al. Waterbird Population Estimates in Hadejia-Nguru Wetlands: Analysis of a Five-Year Monitoring Program. Wetlands 42, 12 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-022-01532-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-022-01532-y