Abundance and habitat preference of the near-threatened endemic abyssinian long-claw (Macronyx flavicollis in the northern montane grasslands of the bale mountains, Ethiopia

Abyssinian long-claw (Macronyx flavicollis Rüppell, 1840) is a near-threatened bird species endemic to the highlands of Ethiopia. Little is known of the species demography, biology and ecology. This study was conducted in the northern montane grasslands of the Bale Mountains, southeast in Ethiopia, to determine abundance, habitat preferences and potential threats to Abyssinian long-claws. Survey was carried out along 53 transects established in three (open grassland, marsh grassland and shrubland) vegetation types in protected (low-moderate grazed) and unprotected (heavily grazed) areas in June 2014. The birds were observed only in open grasslands of both areas, with significantly greater density in the protected open grasslands. The estimated overall mean density was 0.57 ± 0.08 birds per ha, yielding an estimated an overall total population size of 815.67 ± 114.48 individuals in the northern montane grasslands of the Bale Mountains. Vegetation measurements varied among vegetation types and between land-use types (i.e. grazing levels). This may indicate the possible effects of livestock grazing regime on abundance and habitat preferences of the species. However, more research is required to estimate the population size of the species in the Bale Mountains region as a whole and to determine effects of grazing on the species.