Coastal zone habitat-use by birds in Qatar: Insights from a rapid assessment method during spring migration

Abstract

In the western part of the Arabian/Persian Gulf, coastal habitats such as intertidal wetlands and mangroves are scarce and poorly studied. We conducted a rapid assessment survey of bird species richness and abundance at the Fuwairit khor lagoon in northern Qatar, using a line transect count scheme to collect data from six different generic habitat types, repeated during five consecutive days in late April 2013. To further analyze the ecological requirements of the surveyed bird assemblage per habitat type, we assigned ecological guild categories to each species and distinguished among migrants, local, and regional breeders. Mangrove and intertidal mudflats hosted the highest bird densities and the most distinctive assemblages, while the beach habitat had high concentrations of birds but relatively few species. In contrast to the wetland habitats, near-shore marine areas and dune habitats had very limited numbers of birds and a relatively depauperate species assemblage. Employing a habitat perspective in a quantitative bird survey method shows that birds are effective biodiversity indicators for a rapid survey of coastal features in a poorly-studied region of the Arabian/Persian Gulf.