Bird diversity and spatial distribution in agroforestry landscapes of Kalibawang, Central Java, Indonesia

Abstract

Abstract. Nursami F, Ardelia F, Nuraini FL, Aliyazzahra F, Sholiqin M, Sugiyarto, Indrawan M, Iskandar J, Iskandar B, Md Naim D, Setyawan AD. 2025. Bird diversity and spatial distribution in agroforestry landscapes of Kalibawang, Central Java, Indonesia. Asian J For 9: 390-409. Agroforestry landscapes play an increasingly important role in sustaining biodiversity within human-modified regions of Java. This study assessed bird diversity across four villages in Kalibawang, Central Java—Dempel, Karangsambung, Kalialang, and Margolangu—representing a mosaic of agroforests, mixed-fruit gardens, riparian vegetation, and open agricultural fields. Standardized point counts complemented by opportunistic observations recorded 71 bird species representing 32 families, dominated by insectivores, frugivores, and nectarivores, reflecting the structural and trophic complexity of traditional agroforestry systems. Several conservation-priority taxa were documented, including Nisaetus bartelsi, Myophonus glaucinus, Brachypteryx montana crassa, and Zosterops flavus, underscoring the ecological significance of forest-agroforest interfaces. Species richness varied among villages, with higher richness associated with stronger forest connectivity and more heterogeneous agroforestry structure, particularly in upland villages adjacent to the Kalibawang foothill forests. Beta-diversity analysis indicated substantial species turnover among villages (Whittaker’s βw ≈ 0.95), demonstrating that each village contributes distinct components to the regional species pool rather than representing redundant assemblages. Functional guild analysis further highlighted the ecological roles of insectivores in natural pest regulation and of frugivores and nectarivores in seed dispersal and pollination processes, while omnivorous species reflected gradients of anthropogenic disturbance across the landscape. Overall, these findings demonstrate that traditional agroforestry systems function as critical biodiversity reservoirs and ecological connectors within a fragmented agricultural matrix. Conservation efforts should therefore prioritize the maintenance of vegetation connectivity between agroforests and remnant forest patches, protection of riparian buffers, and long-term, community-supported monitoring of sensitive and conservation-priority species to ensure the continued ecological integrity of Kalibawang’s avifauna.