Bird and Frog Diversity of Zamboecozone, Barangay Talisayan, Zamboanga City

Bird and frog diversity of the grassland and riparian habitats of ZAMBOECOZONE, Barangay Talisayan, Zamboanga City was assessed using TransectSurvey and Opportunistic/Cruising Sampling Methods. Bird transect survey revealeda total of 1,489 individuals in 5 transect sites, resolved into 39 species and 24 Families dominated by Estrildidae. Among all bird species documented, Lonchura malacca was most abundant with 15.51% of the overall bird population. The peripheral areas of the ZAMBOECOZONE were the most diverse as suggested by the Simpson's Index of Diversity (SID) score of 0.92. Based on 2012IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, Rufous Hornbill Buceros hydrocorax is enlisted as "Near Threatened", 8 bird species are endemic to the country (Collocalia mearnsi, Phapitreron leucotis, Buceros hydrocorax, Centropus viridis, Loriculus philippensis, Pynonotus goiavier, Sarcops calvus, Orthotomus cinereiceps). Frog survey, on the otherhand, revealed 86 frog individuals collected from4 catchment sites and were resolved into 10 species, 4 Families dominated by Ranidae. Three frog species were categorized as endemics (Kaloula picta, Platymantis dorsalis, Rana woodworthi). Rana cancrivora was the most abundant frog species which accounts for 55.81% of the entire frog population. Creek catchment site with 0.83 SID score was the most diverse community of frog species among all other areas. These results suggest that while avifaunal and frog diversity may be high, further studies must be carried out to identify the temporal (wet and dry) patterns affecting avifaunal and frog diversity.