Water Bird Species to protect in the Ruzizi Delta, Great Lakes Region, in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo

ABSTRACT

The water bird species to be protected in the Ruzizi Delta in Burundi and in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was investigated from April 2019 until August 2021 in five sites in the Rusizi Burundian Delta (RBD) and five sites in the Ruzizi Congolese Delta (RCD). Each site was visited three times a year during the years 2019, 2020 and 2021. The investigation was conducted by direct observation on transects, counting points and on bird species recognition routes using binoculars and two telescopes. Displacements were done by the motorized fiberglass boat and the double cabin field vehicle of the Centre for Research in Hydrobiology (CRH) of Uvira, DRC. At the end of our investigations, we drew up the list of 490 species divided into 84 families and 18 orders. 176 (36%) species were water bird species. Of them, 140 (80%) meet the Ramsar A4i criterion for bird conservation, and 36 species do not meet this criterion. Of these 36 species, we recognized 9 species (5%) of waterbirds specializing in aquatic environments (WBS), and 27 species (15%) of Water Bird species Generalists or visitors to aqueous environments. 26 species of aquatic birds (15%) were recorded in the unprotected Ruzizi Congolese Delta (RCD), 49 (28%) in the protected Rusizi Burundian Delta (RBD), and 101 species of aquatic birds (57%) were recorded both in the Ruzizi Congolese Delta and in the Rusizi Burundian delta. The difference in the distributions of aquatic birds between the Ruzizi Congolese Delta and the Rusizi Burundian Delta is significant. Waterbirds are not affected by the boundaries between RCD and RBD. Their sustainability in the Ruzizi Delta requires the protection of the Ruzizi Congolese wetlands as is the case for the Rusizi Burundian Delta.

Keywords: Aquatic bird species; Conservation of water bird species; Bird species specialized in aquatic environments; Water Bird Species Generalists of aquatic environments; Water Bird species visitors of aquatic environments.

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