Community structure and composition of avian species in heterogeneous habitats of East Africa protected forest reserve, implications for planning sustainable bird tourism in Central Uganda

Birds play significant ecological roles supporting pollination, seed dispersal, pest control, and avitourism, offering economic benefits for communities. However, limited data on avian diversity, distribution, and behavior in Tropical Africa, hinders effective conservation and avitourism development. This study aimed to assess the community structure and composition of avifauna across habitat types in Kitubulu Central Forest Reserve in Central Uganda to inform conservation monitoring and sustainable bird tourism development. Using point counts and transect walks, we surveyed birds across three habitat types (Forest Interior, Forest Edge, Lakeshore & Wetland). We recorded 66 bird species from 15 orders and 30 families. Species richness, total abundance, and Shannon diversity differed significantly across habitats (Kruskal-Wallis, all p < 0.05). Lakeshore & Wetland habitat supported the highest species richness (37 species) and diversity (H’ = 2.89), driven by piscivorous and scavenger guilds. In contrast, the Forest Interior hosted a distinct, specialized community of forest obligates, though with lower overall richness (21 species). PERMANOVA confirmed that bird community composition differed significantly among habitats (F = 7.03, p = 0.001), and the null model analysis revealed significantly non-random co-occurrence (C-score = 8.23, p = 0.001), indicating that the community assembly is primarily driven by habitat filtering. The findings demonstrate that the reserve maintains high conservation value through its habitat heterogeneity, supporting a diverse and structured avifauna. We recommend habitat-specific management strategies, prioritizing the protection of both wetland ecotones and closed-canopy forest interiors. This avifaunal diversity also presents a strong foundation for developing sustainable avitourism, which can incentivize local community engagement in long-term conservation.