Bird Diversity in Some Wetlands of Benghazi, Libya
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63359/21rasb51Keywords:
Birds, wetlands, diversity, abandance, BenghaziAbstract
Libya is characterized by a great diversity of wetlands, in general, most of the wetlands in Libya are in the form of very shallow, saline or open basins, which are dry or semi-dry most of the year and sometimes connected to the sea (sabkhas), most of which attract different species of birds. This study aimed to classify the study areas according to the criteria of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and to identify the bird species that existed in the areas during the seasons, as well as to determine the status of the species in terms of threatening. This study was conducted during the period from January to December 2023, included three wetlands (July 23 Lake, Julyana Lake and Qanfudah Sabkha) in the city of Benghazi. It was found that Julyana Lake and July 23 Lake are classified under type J: coastal salt lakes, while Qanfudah Sabkha is classified under type R: seasonal salt lakes and flats. This study recorded a total of 47,680 birds belonging to 96 species, 67 of which were aquatic and 29 non-aquatic. Julyana lake was distinguished as the highest diversity compared to the rest of the study areas, while Qanfudha area was the highest in abundance. This study recorded significant differences in the numbers of bird species between the seasons of the year in the study areas, where fall season was the highest in diversity, while winter was the least diverse. During this study, a total of twenty-one endangered species were recorded.
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