Biodiversity in Urban environments of Ordu City and Nearby Areas: Mammals, Birds, Reptiles and Amphibians

Abstract

The present paper provides the first species list of the fauna of terrestrial vertebrates of Ordu, Turkey. A survey for determination of the fauna was conducted between 2011 and 2015 in Ordu and the immediate vicinity. The field studies were made using several different techniques including; visual, wildlife photography and passive infrared camera traps. Previous records and wildlife observations around Ordu city published by professional wildlife photographers were also included. Overall, we determined 219 terrestrial vertebrate species (168 birds, 40 mammals, 7 reptiles, and 4 amphibians), some of them being low conservation concern. Among the most remarkable species from the conservation point of view, Emys orbicularis (Reptilia), Aythya nyroca, Puffinus yelkouan, Pelecanus crispus, Saxicola maurus, Tetrax tetrax (Aves), Rhinolophus euryale, Miniopterus schreibersii, Lutra lutra (Mammalia) come into prominence. The third record of the Rustic Bunting (Emberiza rustica) for Turkey is made in this study. In the Blacksea region of Turkey, although the most records of Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus) is largely confined to mountainous regions, it was captured by the photo-traps in the urban areas. Our results suggest that biodiversity of terrestrial vertebrates in Ordu and immediate vicinity is still rich, and adjacent environments between urban and wild habitats are important in terms of conservation of the urban biodiversity.