SEASONAL DYNAMICS IN THE DIVERSITY AND ABUNDANCE OF RAPTORS FOUND IN AGROECOLOGICAL LANDSCAPES IN KONO, RIVERS STATE, NIGERIA

Raptors occupy the highest niches in a food web and little is known about their population and ecology in agroecological landscapes. This research was aimed at assessing the seasonal dynamics of raptors, their diversity and population distribution in agroecological landscapes to establish a live data observatory which can serve as a baseline for conservation of these species. Line transect method was used to investigate the occurrence, diversity, and habitat use of raptors in Kono farms comprising monofarms and mixed farms. Kono is a village situated on the coast in the eastern flank of Khana Local Government Area, about 45 miles (72.4 km2 ) from Port Harcourt. Nine raptor species belonging to the family Accipitridae were found to be inhabiting the agroecological space; Kaupifalco monogrammicus (lizard buzzard) had the highest abundance while Haliaeetus vocifer (African fish eagle) was the least abundant. One Intra-African migrant (Milvus migrans parasitus-Yellow-billed kite), one Palearctic visitor (Milvus migrans -Black kite) and one critically endangered species (Necrosyrtes monachus -Hooded vulture) were recorded. The results show there were variations in the abundance of the species between the wet and dry seasons. The species diversity for both seasons varied amongst the two types of farms with Shannon (H) index and evenness having higher values of 2.312 and 1.31 for mixed farms(dry) and 1.96, 0.79 as the least values in the monofarms. The mixed farms supported the highest species abundance; Necrosyrtes monachus (Hooded vulture) recorded the highest abundance in the mixed farms for each season while Kaupifalco monogrammicus (Lizard buzzard) recorded the highest abundance in the monofarms for each season. Haliaeetus vocifer (African Fish Eagle) and Yellowbilled kite Milvus migrans parasitus were the least occurring species in the monofarms during the dry season. Macheiramphus alcinus (Bat hawk) and Polyboroides typus (African Harrier-Hawk) were the least recorded species in the mixed farms for both seasons. This study serves both to highlight the importance of agroecological landscapes as a home for raptors and to emphasize the importance of conservation programmes to create awareness for these umbrella species