Patterns of avian diversity in a tropical urban area provide valuable lessons for setting up urban green spaces

Rapid land conversion, mainly driven by urbanization, poses a serious threat to biodiversity across the world.To address this, urban green spaces are often created in temperate regions, to support biodiversity and improve human well-being.However, there is an opportunity to advocate for the protection of existing green spaces in tropical Africa that support biodiversity and to avoid the challenges of urbanization faced by developed countries.We assessed the abundance and richness of bird species in ten completely engulfed natural habitat patches in the Cape Coast metropolis, a rapidly growing urban area in southern Ghana.We assessed the taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity of avian species in ten habitat patches.Also, we also investigated the influence of green space attributes on abundance and diversity.We recorded a total of 100 avian species belonging to 39 families.The Hooded Vulture (Necrosyrtes monachus), was the only species of conservation concern being Critically Endangered.We found that both the diversity and abundance of birds positively correlated with larger habitat areas and the presence of water, but did not vary significantly across seasons.We recorded more species and a higher richness index in the wet season than the dry season.We caution that most of the present green spaces are at risk of dying out if not protected, and as such, strongly advocate for the protection of these sites, especially those supporting endangered species.