The abundance of bird species in three sections of Kwale District's coastal forests in Kenya

Abstract

Abstract. Musila SN, Manohar S, Mango N. 2017. The abundance of bird species in three sections of Kwale District's coastal forests in Kenya. Ocean Life 1: 69-83. Specifically, the diversity of bird species in the three coastal forests of Kaya Gandini Important Bird Area, Kaya Mtswakara, and Mwache Forest Reserve, Kenya, was studied between October 2007 and August 2008. To survey the understory birds of each forest, three ringing stations separated by 200-500 m and two net lines (60 m (18m x 2, 12m x 2)) and (54m (18m x 3)) separated by 60 m were utilized. Twenty-two Timed Species Counts (TSCs) were conducted in the treetops of each forest to determine the bird population. 10 m² plots were established at 50-meter intervals around the ringing locations and TSCs survey routes, with the plot centers 10 meters perpendicular to the paths. One hundred forty-one different bird species were documented across all locations; 93 were found in Gandini, 88 in Mtswakara, and 91 in Mwache. Common to all three sections were 41 bird species types (29%), accounting for 44%, 47%, and 45% of all bird species documented in Gandini, Mwache, and Mtswakara, respectively. Overall, 38 species of forest birds were registered across all forests, including 34 in Gandini and 25 in both Mtswakara and Mwache. Four globally endangered bird species and 14 endemics to the East African Coastal Biome were discovered across all forest types. There were no migrating birds in any of the three areas, even though they were all a part of the same forest. Although Gandini and Mtswakara were the most similar, all three locations shared a similar habitat structure. Bird populations in Mwache were affected by human activities such as firewood collecting, extraction of building poles (5-10 cm DBH) for domestic and commercial use, and quarrying. Gandini stands out as the most crucial location for avifauna conservation due to its greater diversity of Forest Specialist (FF), Forest Generalist (F), understory, globally threatened birds and EACB species. Due to their close vicinity and the significant number of overlapping forest birds and internationally vulnerable bird species, all three forests should be conserved or maintained as a single forest block to ensure the survival of the greatest possible number of bird species.