Avifaunal diversity in urban greenspaces within Cotabato city, Mindanao Island, Philippines

Abstract

Information about the diversity of avifauna in urban green spaces in the Philippines needs to be more extensive. More so, data on birds in green spaces of the country’s Bangsamoro Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) remain largely unreported. This gap highlights the need to document the avifaunal diversity in the urban green spaces of Cotabato City. Bird species were accounted for using the point count method from September to December 2021 in three different urban green spaces within the commercial center of Cotabato City. Twenty-one avian species representing 17 families were documented. Among the surveyed three green spaces within Cotabato City, Notre Dame University (NDU) has the highest species richness (N = 20), followed by PC Hill (N = 14), and Mother Barangay Rosary Heights (N = 9). Of the 21 species of birds documented, 19% are Philippine endemic, and all of these were recorded only at Notre Dame University. Data from the present study suggest the capacity of green spaces in urban Cotabato City to cater to different bird species, including the endemic ones. Since the results present preliminary data, intensive surveys can be done on these sites by future researchers. Also, surveying more urban green spaces in Cotabato City may add information on the city’s urban birds. Substantial data from these future surveys may be helpful in the urban planning of Cotabato.