The avifauna of the Kakamega Forest, western Kenya, including a bird population study. Bulletin of the AMNH ; v. 149, article 3

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Date

1972

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Publisher

New York : [American Museum of Natural History]

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Abstract

"The bird fauna of the Kakamega Forest in western Kenya was studied between June and August, 1963, 1965, and 1966. Special attention was given to a 20-acre tract within relatively undisturbed climax growth where continued bird censusing was undertaken. The census area was utilized by a minimum of 408 adult birds in 1963 and a maximum of 487 adults in 1966. On the tract 125 species -- largely true forest birds -- were identified. One hundred and forty-four bird species dependent on forest or closely associated with forest have been recorded in the Kakamega region. These are named in an appendix prepared by the author and Alec Forbes-Watson. The avifaunal affinities of Kakamega are with the lowland Congo and western Uganda forests, as indicated by the 107 species (78 true forest birds) they share in common. Although very few east-central African sylvan avifaunas have been studied in detail, the number of forest bird species in Kakamega appears second only to the altitudinally diverse Impenetrable Forest of western Uganda. Impenetrable Forest supports 69 montane and 99 lowland bird species compared with 34 and 98, respectively, at Kakamega. Despite apparent similarities in general climate and vegetation structure of Kakamega and the Amani Forest of northeastern Tanzania, more than 57 percent of the Amani Forest birds are lacking at Kakamega and 80 percent of the birds of Kakamega do not occur at Amani. Historic factors are presumed to be responsible for some of the differences. As suggested by Moreau, a rough correlation may exist between bird species diversity and woody plant species diversity -- at least in tropical African lowland evergreen forests. Scarcity of floristic data limits detailed comparisons at present"--P. 259.

Description

p. 257-339 : ill. ; 27 cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 336-339).

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