AVIAN SPECIES DISTRIBUTED ALONG URBAN DEGRADED SAVANNA WOODLAND HABITAT

Bird species richness and abundance was determined using line transect in an urban degraded forest of the Jos Wildlife Park, Central Nigeria. A total of 306 individual birds belonging to 65 species were recorded. Birds across degraded gradients showed no significant difference perhaps due to similarities in general vegetation structure and closeness of gradients to one another. However, the data shows that species abundance and richness increased with transect into the forest interior as compared with the fringes bordered by human settlement. This perhaps indicates that increased urbanization around the forest is a threat to the habitat and species. Generally, bird species abundance and richness across gradients increased with increase in the number of trees. Also, habitat variables do not influence bird abundance probably due to human disturbance and poor forestry management practices. This agrees with the findings that habitat structure alone do not influence bird abundance rather it takes the combination of forest management and habitat structural variables to influence abundance of bird species. Keywords: Birds, Richness, Abundance and Trees