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Recent Survey of Birds in Gishwati Forest, Rwanda

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We conducted a general avian survey in and around the Gishwati Forest of Rwanda's Gishwati-Mukura National Park between 6 June and 7 August 2019, using stationary point counts and opportunistic observations along approximately 300 km of transects and trails. Of the 155 bird species recorded, one is Critically Endangered (Hooded Vulture Necrosyrtes monachus), two are Endangered (Gray Crowned-Crane Balearica regulorum and Grauer's Swamp Warbler Bradypterus graueri), one is Vulnerable (Taw-ny Eagle Aquila rapax), and two are Near-Threatened (Mountain Buzzard Buteo ore-ophilus and Lagden's Bushshrike Malaconotus lagdeni). We recorded three Afrotropical migrants and 20 species endemic to the Albertine Rift (though two of these are only recognized at the subspecies level). Within this avian community, 41 species are forest specialists, 55 are forest generalists, and 25 are forest visitors.
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Recent Survey of Birds in Gishwati Forest,
Rwanda
Seth Inman and Claver Ntoyinkama
Summary
We conducted a general avian survey in and around the Gishwati Forest of Rwanda’s
Gishwati-Mukura National Park between 6 June and 7 August 2019, using stationary
point counts and opportunistic observations along approximately 300 km of transects
and trails. Of the 155 bird species recorded, one is Critically Endangered (Hooded
Vulture Necrosyrtes monachus), two are Endangered (Gray Crowned-Crane Balearica
regulorum and Grauer’s Swamp Warbler Bradypterus graueri), one is Vulnerable (Taw-
ny Eagle Aquila rapax), and two are Near-Threatened (Mountain Buzzard Buteo ore-
ophilus and Lagden’s Bushshrike Malaconotus lagdeni). We recorded three Afrotropical
migrants and 20 species endemic to the Albertine Rift (though two of these are only
recognized at the subspecies level). Within this avian community, 41 species are for-
est specialists, 55 are forest generalists, and 25 are forest visitors.
Keywords conservation, Gishwati Forest, Gishawati-Mukura National Park, mon-
tane forest birds, Rwanda
Introduction
Gishwati Forest (01°49’S, 29°22’E; 2050–2610 m), in northwest Rwanda, is a secondary
montane rainforest fragment that lies roughly between Volcanoes National Park to
the north and Nyungwe Forest National Park to the south. The forest that included
Gishwati in the early 1900s may have been as large as 100 000 ha, although this can-
not be conrmed (REMA 2015). In 1984, the protected area that comprised Gishwati
was 21 213 ha, but by 2015 it had suffered a 93% reduction in size to 1440 ha (REMA
2015). The majority of forest clearance occurred before 2010. There is now 1570 ha
of Gishwati Forest that are gazetted as part of the newly formed Gishwati-Mukura
National Park, declared in 2015, after having been a Forest Reserve since 1951 (REMA
2016). Gishwati Forest Reserve was previously an Important Bird Area but was later
down-listed by BirdLife International after the area’s vast habitat loss (Kanyamibwa
2001).
Vande weghe & Vande weghe (2011) recorded 190 resident species in this for-
est during observations that were made before 1986 (G. Vande weghe, pers. comm.),
which provides the historical baseline for the Gishwati avifauna. This publication has
since been updated by Vande weghe (2018), which lists the total avifauna recorded in
Gishwati Forest, including migrants, as about 150. There have been other surveys of
the birds of Gishwati in the last two decades, though most have never been published
or were of short duration (see Nsabagasani & Nsengimana 2009, WCS unpub., Valle
unpub., Tuyisingize unpub., REMA unpub.).
Scopus 40(1): 7–15, January 2020
Our goal was to conduct a survey of the current avifauna of Gishwati Forest, to
provide a much-needed contribution to our understanding of this forest under its
present state, as well as the distribution of some endemic, rare, and poorly-known
species. It is therefore not historically comprehensive. For example, there were 42
species documented in Vande weghe & Vande weghe (2011) that we did not nd
during our survey. Some of these may have been missed in the eld, but others were
likely extirpated by the profound habitat changes and fragmentation of this forest
in the 1980s and 1990s. This work was part of a larger project to measure changes in
species composition and to conduct a spatial analysis of the remnant avian diversity
as it relates to distance from the edge of the park boundaries.
Methods
Over the course of 40 eld days, between 6 June and 7 August 2019, we conducted 180
point counts along approximately 300 km of transects and trails in Gishwati Forest, or
within 1 km of its boundary (Fig. 1). This represented over 400 h of direct and oppor-
tunistic observations while walking between points. After giving birds 60 s to settle
after our arrival at each point, we documented every individual bird heard or seen for
10 min using binoculars and referencing Stevenson & Fanshawe (2002) as necessary.
Points were spaced at least 200 m apart. Over 86% of the points were surveyed more
than once, and 54% of the points were surveyed thrice. We allocated more effort to
the core area of relict forest than to the relatively newer and much more degraded
habitat to the east, which is a much narrower band of protected area where impacts of
edge effects would be more difcult to determine. Surveys were conducted between
06:00 (sunrise) and 12:30, and we delayed surveying during active rain, which rarely
occurred.
Figure 1. Map of Gishwati forest showing surveyed points and the ofcial Park boundary.
S. Inman and C. Ntoyinkama
8
Results
We detected a total of 155 species (Table 1), 20 of which are endemic to the Alber-
tine Rift (BirdLife International 2019a). Signs of breeding (immature birds or nest-
ing behaviour) were found for 15 species, and three species were intra-African mi-
grants. Four species are on the IUCN Red List, and 2 other species are considered
Near-Threatened (BirdLife International 2019b). According to the categorizations
established by Bennun et al. (1996), 41 were forest specialists, 55 were forest general-
ists, and 25 were forest visitors, leaving 34 uncategorized species that typically were
non-forest species—or were species not included in Bennun et al. (1996). In Table 1
we include a very rudimentary proxy of abundance based on how many days a given
species was detected, which was of course biased by a given species’ behaviour and
habitat, as well as our sampling distribution, and as such these values should be con-
sidered a rough estimate.
Table 1. Bird species recorded in and around Gishwati Forest of Gishwati-Mukura National
Park. The list follows Clements et al. (2019). R = resident, AM = Afrotropical migrant; B = signs
of breeding recorded in this survey; ARE = Albertine Rift endemic; CR = Critically Endangered,
E = Endangered, V = Vulnerable, NT = Near-Threatened; Abundance categories: Once = 1,
Rare < 5, Uncommon < 10, Common > 10, Frequent > 20, Abundant > 30.
Common Name Species Name Status Abundance
Handsome Francolin Pternistis nobilis R, B, ARE Common
Scaly Francolin Pternistis squamatus R Once
Rameron Pigeon Columba arquatrix R, B Uncommon
Dusky Turtle-Dove Streptopelia lugens R Rare
Red-eyed Dove Streptopelia semitorquata R Uncommon
Blue-spotted Wood-Dove Turtur afer R Once
Tambourine Dove Turtur tympanistria R Rare
African Green-Pigeon Treron calvus R Uncommon
Great Blue Turaco Corythaeola cristata R Uncommon
Black-billed Turaco Tauraco schuettii R Frequent
Rwenzori Turaco Ruwenzorornis johnstoni johnstoni R, ARE Once
Blue-headed Coucal Centropus monachus R Common
Blue Malkoha Ceuthmochares aereus R Rare
Klaas’s Cuckoo Chrysococcyx klaas R Rare
African Emerald Cuckoo Chrysococcyx cupreus R Uncommon
Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo Cercococcyx montanus R Rare
Black Cuckoo Cuculus clamosus AM Uncommon
Red-chested Cuckoo Cuculus solitarius AM Abundant
Rwenzori Nightjar Caprimulgus ruwenzorii R, ARE subspecies Rare
Square-tailed Nightjar Caprimulgus fossii R Once
Little Swift Apus afnis R Once
Red-chested Flufftail Sarothrura rufa R Uncommon
Black Crake Zapornia avirostra R, B Rare
Gray Crowned-Crane Balearica regulorum R, E Once
Black-headed Heron Ardea melanocephala R Rare
Hadada Ibis Bostrychia hagedash R Frequent
African Harrier-Hawk Polyboroides typus R Once
Hooded Vulture Necrosyrtes monachus R, CE Common
Tawny Eagle Aquila rapax R, V Rare
Survey of birds in Gishwati Forest, Rwanda 9
Common Name Species Name Status Abundance
African Goshawk Accipiter tachiro R Rare
Black Goshawk Accipiter melanoleucus R Rare
Black Kite (Yellow-billed) Milvus migrans parasitus R Rare
Mountain Buzzard Buteo oreophilus R, NT Uncommon
Augur Buzzard Buteo augur R Common
Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl Bubo lacteus R Rare
Red-chested Owlet Glaucidium tephronotum R Rare
African Wood-Owl Strix woodfordii R Rare
Speckled Mousebird Colius striatus R Rare
Narina Trogon Apaloderma narina R Rare
Bar-tailed Trogon Apaloderma vittatum R Once
White-headed Woodhoopoe Phoeniculus bollei R Common
Crowned Hornbill Lophoceros alboterminatus R Uncommon
Gray-headed Kingsher Halcyon leucocephala R Rare
Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater Merops oreobates R Common
Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird Pogoniulus bilineatus R Common
Lesser Honeyguide Indicator minor R Rare
Scaly-throated Honeyguide Indicator variegatus R Common
Elliot’s Woodpecker Chloropicus elliotii R Rare
Cardinal Woodpecker Chloropicus fuscescens R Rare
Bearded Woodpecker Chloropicus namaquus R Once
Olive Woodpecker Chloropicus griseocephalus R Common
Tullberg’s Woodpecker Campethera tullbergi taeniolaema R Rare
Eurasian Kestrel Falco tinnunculus R Once
Rwenzori Batis Batis diops R, ARE Abundant
Chinspot Batis Batis molitor R Abundant
Northern Puffback Dryoscopus gambensis R Abundant
Lüdher’s Bushshrike Laniarius luehderi R Rare
Tropical Boubou Laniarius major R Common
Willard’s Sooty Boubou Laniarius willardi R Once
Albertine Boubou Laniarius holomelas R Abundant
Many-colored Bushshrike Telophorus multicolor R Rare
Doherty’s Bushshrike Telophorus dohertyi R Abundant
Lagden’s Bushshrike Malaconotus lagdeni R, NT Rare
Gray Cuckooshrike Coracina caesia R Common
Black Cuckooshrike Campephaga ava R Rare
Mackinnon’s Shrike Lanius mackinnoni R Common
Northern Fiscal Lanius humeralis R Rare
African Golden Oriole Oriolus auratus AM, B Rare
Black-tailed Oriole Oriolus percivali R, B Abundant
African Paradise-Flycatcher Terpsiphone viridis R Abundant
Pied Crow Corvus albus R Common
White-necked Raven Corvus albicollis R Common
Rock Martin Ptyonoprogne fuligula R Rare
Angola Swallow Hirundo angolensis R Common
Red-rumped Swallow Cecropis daurica R Uncommon
White-headed Sawwing Psalidoprocne albiceps R Common
Black Sawwing Psalidoprocne pristoptera R Frequent
White-tailed Blue Flycatcher Elminia albicauda R Rare
S. Inman and C. Ntoyinkama
10
Common Name Species Name Status Abundance
Stripe-breasted Tit Melaniparus fasciiventer R, ARE Uncommon
Eastern Mountain-Greenbul Arizelocichla nigriceps kikuyuensis R Frequent
Yellow-whiskered Greenbul Eurillas latirostris R, B Abundant
Yellow-streaked Greenbul Phyllastrephus avostriatus R Frequent
Common Bulbul (Dark-capped) Pycnonotus barbatus tricolor R Abundant
White-browed Crombec Sylvietta leucophrys R Frequent
Grauer’s Warbler Graueria vittata R, ARE Rare
Red-faced Woodland-Warbler Phylloscopus laetus R, ARE Uncommon
African Yellow-Warbler Iduna natalensis R Rare
Mountain Yellow-Warbler Iduna similis R Frequent
African Reed Warbler Acrocephalus baeticatus R Rare
Evergreen-Forest Warbler Bradypterus lopezi R Frequent
Cinnamon Bracken-Warbler Bradypterus cinnamomeus R Abundant
Grauer’s Swamp Warbler Bradypterus graueri R, ARE, E Uncommon
Rwenzori Apalis Oreolais ruwenzorii R, ARE Abundant
Green-backed Camaroptera Camaroptera brachyura aschani R Uncommon
Black-throated Apalis Apalis jacksoni R Abundant
Black-faced Apalis Apalis personata R, B, ARE Abundant
Chestnut-throated Apalis Apalis porphyrolaema R Frequent
Banded Prinia Prinia bairdii R Frequent
Black-faced Rufous-Warbler Bathmocercus rufus R, B Abundant
Gray-capped Warbler Eminia lepida R Uncommon
Chubb’s Cisticola Cisticola chubbi R Abundant
African Yellow White-eye Zosterops senegalensis R Abundant
Rwenzori Hill Babbler Sylvia atriceps R Abundant
Mountain Illadopsis Illadopsis pyrrhoptera R Abundant
Gray-chested Babbler Kakamega poliothorax R Frequent
Dusky-brown Flycatcher Muscicapa adusta R Common
Yellow-eyed Black-Flycatcher Melaenornis ardesiacus R, ARE Once
White-eyed Slaty-Flycatcher Melaenornis scheri R, B Common
Archer’s Robin-Chat Cossypha archeri R, ARE Abundant
Cape Robin-Chat Cossypha caffra R Rare
White-browed Robin-Chat Cossypha heuglini R Rare
Red-capped Robin-Chat Cossypha natalensis R Rare
White-starred Robin Pogonocichla stellata R, B Abundant
Red-throated Alethe Chamaetylas poliophrys R, ARE Frequent
Equatorial Akalat Sheppardia aequatorialis R Rare
African Stonechat Saxicola torquatus R Common
Abyssinian Ground-Thrush Geokichla piaggiae tanganjicae R, ARE subspecies Once
Abyssinian Thrush Turdus abyssinicus R Common
Slender-billed Starling Onychognathus tenuirostris R Common
Waller’s Starling Onychognathus walleri R Uncommon
Sharpe’s Starling Pholia sharpii R Rare
Stuhlmann’s Starling Poeoptera stuhlmanni R Uncommon
Collared Sunbird Hedydipna collaris R, B Frequent
Green-headed Sunbird Cyanomitra verticalis R, B Common
Blue-headed Sunbird Cyanomitra alinae R, B, ARE Frequent
Olive Sunbird Cyanomitra olivacea R Common
Scarlet-chested Sunbird Chalcomitra senegalensis R Once
Survey of birds in Gishwati Forest, Rwanda 11
Common Name Species Name Status Abundance
Purple-breasted Sunbird Nectarinia purpureiventris R, B, ARE Common
Bronze Sunbird Nectarinia kilimensis R Uncommon
Malachite Sunbird Nectarinia famosa R Once
Stuhlmann’s Sunbird Cinnyris stuhlmanni R, ARE Uncommon
Northern Double-collared Sunbird Cinnyris reichenowi R Frequent
Regal Sunbird Cinnyris regius R, ARE Frequent
Variable Sunbird Cinnyris venustus R, B Common
Cape Wagtail Motacilla capensis R Uncommon
Mountain Wagtail Motacilla clara R Once
African Pied Wagtail Motacilla aguimp R Rare
African Pipit Anthus cinnamomeus R Uncommon
Yellow-fronted Canary Crithagra mozambica R Rare
Western Citril Crithagra frontalis R Rare
Streaky Seedeater Crithagra striolata R Common
Thick-billed Seedeater Crithagra burtoni R Uncommon
Yellow-crowned Canary Serinus avivertex R Uncommon
Golden-breasted Bunting Emberiza aviventris R Rare
Baglafecht Weaver Ploceus baglafecht R Common
Strange Weaver Ploceus alienus R, B, ARE Frequent
Holub’s Golden Weaver Ploceus xanthops R Once
Brown-capped Weaver Ploceus insignis R Once
Yellow-bellied Waxbill Coccopygia quartinia R Uncommon
Dusky Crimsonwing Cryptospiza jacksoni R, ARE Uncommon
Fawn-breasted Waxbill Estrilda paludicola R Rare
Crimson-rumped Waxbill Estrilda rhodopyga R Once
Common Waxbill Estrilda astrild R Uncommon
Black-crowned Waxbill Estrilda nonnula R Uncommon
Kandt’s Waxbill Estrilda kandti R, B Common
Discussion
We are fairly condent that we detected a signicant majority of the birds that were
present during our limited eld season. It is possible that certain species were consist-
ently silent or cryptic during our eld season, which had aberrant rainfall. Anecdotal-
ly, the rainy season appeared to be delayed for much of Rwanda in 2019; Shinehouse
Gishwati Research Station recorded only about 5680 mm of rain between 1 January
and 31 May 2019, compared to the previous 3-year average of 9050 mm (R. Chancellor
& A. Rundus, pers. comm.).
We identied ten species that had never previously been reported in Gishwati: Af-
rican Reed Warbler Acrocephalus baeticatus, Crimson-rumped Waxbill Estrilda rhodopy-
ga, Yellow-fronted Canary Crithagra mozambica, Grauer’s Swamp Warbler Bradypterus
graueri, Gray-headed Kingsher Halcyon leucocephala, Many-colored Bushshrike Telo-
phorus multicolor, Olive Sunbird Cyanomitra olivacea, Red-chested Flufftail Sarothrura
rufa, Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl Bubo lacteus, and Willard’s Sooty Boubou Laniarius willar-
di—CN saw this species briey once, and G. Vande weghe may have seen it in 2017
(REMA unpub.), but efforts should be made to photograph the species in Gishwati
given its range restrictions in the Albertine Rift (see Voelker et al. 2010).
S. Inman and C. Ntoyinkama
12
In contrast, we failed to nd over 30 resident species previously reported during
the last twenty years. This could be due to birds’ behaviour or movements that are
impossible to quantify, as well as to potential transcription or identication errors
by previous surveys. As our survey dates did not include the Palearctic migration,
we undoubtedly missed species that are frequent visitors to Gishwati at other times
of the year. Nevertheless, it is surprising that one species reported for the rst time,
Grauer’s Swamp Warbler, is both endangered and an Albertine Rift endemic, which
makes it a target species sought by expert birders and ornithologists alike (for some
history on this species in Rwanda, see Vande weghe 1983). We recorded four individ-
uals by sight on two occasions and detected this species on ve different days during
the course of our survey. All observations were in the swampy section of the park
where the Pfunda River ows out to the northwest (roughly 2050 m asl), which is also
where Willard’s Sooty Boubou was observed. Perhaps these few individuals are new
visitors to Gishwati Forest given habitat loss elsewhere; this swampy section should
be monitored more closely. Another Albertine Rift endemic with the same namesake,
Grauer’s Warbler (Graueria vittata), had only been reported twice previously, once in
1990 by Robert Dowsett (R. Dowsett, pers. comm.), and again in 2004 by WCS survey-
ors (WCS unpub.); we heard it on four separate days. Similarly, our four observations
of Elliot’s Woodpecker Chloropicus elliotii are only matched by the 2004 WCS survey
(unpub.), and our four observations of Lüdher’s Bushshrike Laniarius luehderi are only
matched by Dowsett’s 1990 visit to Gishwati (pers. comm.), indicating that there may
be uctuations in species presence, and more methodical visits to the Forest will be
valuable.
Conclusion
While we conducted our research at a time suitable to assess resident species of Gish-
wati Forest, the brevity of our effort leaves other important times of the calendar year
unsurveyed. It is imperative to survey at all times to document passage migrants that
may use this habitat, as well as other seasonal visitors from elsewhere in Africa or
further aeld. We encourage further study during the winter months of the northern
hemisphere, as well as more targeted and published ornithological surveys in Rwan-
da. In particular, monitoring the arm of the Park that bends out to the east, known as
Nduruma and Kinyenkanda, would be worthwhile, as this includes both the highest
elevation of the protected area, as well as the narrowest band of the contiguous forest
cover. This region is being actively restored and reforested (World Bank 2019), and
therefore might come to host a different suite of bird species in the future. We believe
that reassessing the Gishwati Forest component of Gishwati-Mukura National Park
under the criteria for the newer IUCN Key Biodiversity Area system might be worth-
while, given the number of endemic and Red-listed species found here. In addition
to the birds above, Gishwati Forest is also home to chimpanzees Pan troglodytes, En-
dangered, golden monkeys Cercopithecus mitis kandti, Endangered, Great Lakes bush
vipers Atheris nitschei, Albertine Rift endemic, and other species that display the con-
servation utility of this protected area as an island of biodiversity in the middle of a
heavily human-altered landscape of cattle pasture and agriculture (REMA unpub.).
Acknowledgements
SI thanks the Tropical Resources Institute at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental
Studies and the Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies for their nancial support of his research
Survey of birds in Gishwati Forest, Rwanda 13
project, without which SI could not have hired CN for his company and expertise in the forest.
SI wishes to emphasize the impossibility of conducting this research without CN’s deep famil-
iarity with forest bird species. The authors thank the reviewers, J. Hogg and G. Vande weghe,
as well as the editor, for deftly improving the original manuscript with their comments and
suggestions. Thierry Aimable and Jacques Albert from the Forest of Hope Association (FHA)
provided valuable logistical support at the Shinehouse Gishwati Research Station, which yield-
ed unparalleled access to Gishwati Forest—thanks also to Dr Rebecca Chancellor and Dr Aaron
Rundus from West Chester University for sharing some of their rainfall data and a shapele
of Gishwati boundaries by their student Amanda Johnston. Meghan Hills at the Yale School
of Forestry and Environmental Studies helped SI create the map of Gishwati Forest with sur-
vey points included. SI is grateful to Dr Beth Kaplin and her dedicated team at the Center of
Excellence in Biodiversity and Natural Resource Management of the University of Rwanda,
including her student Theodore Nshimiyumuremyi, who joined for a few days in the eld as
an intern. Gratien Ndiramiye and Faida Emmanuel also helped us on a couple days in the for-
est. Final thanks go to the Tourism and Conservation Department of the Rwanda Development
Board for allowing SI to carry out his academic research in the country, under research contract
060619.
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Seth Inman*
Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, 195 Prospect St, New Haven, CT 06511
Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, 170 Whitney Ave, New Haven, CT 06511
*Corresponding author: seth.inman@yale.edu
Claver Ntoyinkama
Nyungwe Forest National Park, Rwanda Development Board
Scopus 40(1): 7–15, January 2020
Received 29 October 2019
Survey of birds in Gishwati Forest, Rwanda 15
... Although some researchers studied the biodiversity of Gishwati (Chancellor et al. 2012a;Chancellor et al. 2012b;2017;Inman & Ntoyinkama 2020;Kisioh 2015;Plumptre et al. 2007); less is known about its entomological diversity. Indeed, no research has been done on the diversity of ants in the area, and less is known about how reforestation activities affect the communities of ants. ...
... The forest is also home to other mammals such as red river hog (Potamochoerus porcus), black front duiker (Cephalophus nigrifrons), the southern tree hyrax (Dendrohyrax arboreus) and serval (Felis serval). Gishwati forest is also home to around 155 species of birds (Inman & Ntoyinkama 2020). Amphibians inhabiting the forest include the brown forest frog (Litoria ewingii) and different species of toads, while reptiles include the great lakes bush viper (Atheris nitschei) and different chameleon species (Kisioh 2015). ...
Article
Recently, human activities have impacted biodiversity-rich forest in western Rwanda, creating a need to enhance restoration activities of degraded lands in the region. To evaluate the effects of reforestation activities on the community composition of soil-litter ants, research was conducted in Gishwati tropical montane forest, located in northern-western part of Rwanda. The ant fauna was studied in reforested lands dominated by regenerated native species and exotic tree species. Further, a primary forest made of native trees served as a reference. In each forest type, nine sampling points were used to sample ants. Ant specimens were collected using pitfalls, hand sampling and Winkler extractor. They were identified to subfamilies, genus and species levels using dichotomous keys, and also statistically analysed for species richness, diversity, evenness and community composition. We collected a total of 2,481 individuals from 5 subfamilies, 18 genera and 35 species. Higher abundance, diversity and species richness were found in soil-litter under natural primary and secondary forests dominated by regenerated native plant species compared to exotic tree forest. The ant community composition analysis indicated higher similarities in ant species sampled under primary native forest and secondary forest dominated by regenerated native species. Reforestation by regenerating native species may be given priority in restoration of degraded lands due to their importance in species richness and species diversity.
... By the end of 2019, there was a total of 5 PA in Rwanda, including 4NP: Akagera National Park (ANP), Volcanoes National Park (VNP), Nyungwe National Forest (NNP), and Gishwati-Mukura National Park (GMNP). The first establishment of PA in Rwanda was during the colonial period in 1923, starting with the mountain forests: Mukura, Nyungwe, and Gishwati, and closely followed by the gazettement of the VNP in 1925 and the ANP in 1934 [22] [26,27]. Besides the NP, Rwanda possesses Rugezi Marsh that ...
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Most National Parks (NP) and nature reserves in Rwanda have been established opportunistically in the early 1900s, without clear consideration of ensuring the protection to all threatened different taxonomical or functional groups, such as vegetation, invertebrates, fish, and birds. With the increasing conservation objectives, raised expectations into Protected Areas (PA), and within a more challenging environmental context, it is important to identify biodiversity hubs and key areas for Ecosystem Services (ES) to maximize the efficiency of conservation efforts by assisting priority areas under threats. To date, no comprehensive analysis, to the best of our knowledge has been done to assess both biodiversity and ES in Rwanda. This is a notable gap, considering that global-scale research suggests that the spatial overlap between biodiversity targets and ES is low. This study reports a nationwide assessment, mapping the richness of threatened species and three key ES Carbon Storage, Water Quantity, and Water Quality. Our analysis has shown that PAs are neither perfectly delineated to protect biodiversity nor key ES. The state of PAs offers a taxonomic protection bias in favor of mammals and birds but leaves many endangered species in other taxonomic groups in collapsing and unprotected small ecosystems scattered around the country. Rwanda’s PAs cover important carbon stock but can do better at securing higher water balance regions and clean water sources. We propose an improvement of the NP system in Rwanda to help guide the economic development along a path of green growth and ensures the well-being of both people and nature. Locating biodiversity hubs and key ES can help to connect conservationists, local people, and governments in order to better guide conservation actions.
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Robust and rapid ways of assessing and monitoring forest biodiversity are increasingly necessary. To this end, we present a classification of forest birds in Kenya and Uganda into three simple categories: forest-specialists (FF species), forest generalists (F species) and forest visitors (f species). FF and F species, but not f species, are dependent on forests. Out of 479 forest birds in the two countries, 214 are FF, 156 F and 109 f species. Forest-dependent birds, and particularly forest specialists, are less widespread than forest visitors. Uganda has 420 forest birds compared to Kenya's 335, and a higher proportion of forest specialists: this reflects differences in forest structure and biogeography, rather than the area of natural forest. Using this classification allows species lists and densities to be interpreted more meaningfully. The number of FF species is an initial measure of a forest's relative conservation importance, while the proportion of FF, F and f species and their relative abundance will shift according to changes in forest structure.
Article
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We describe Laniarius willardi, a new species of boubou shrike (Malaconotidae) from the Albertine Rift of Africa. The most conspicuous, distinguishing morphological feature of the species is a gray to blue-gray iris. This and external morphometric data indicate that L. willardi is diagnosable from other black or sooty boubous. Further, L. willardi is genetically diagnosable, and its closest relative is the Mountain Sooty Boubou (L. poensis camerunensis) from Cameroon. The Crimson-breasted Bush-shrike (L. atrococcineus) and the Lowland Sooty Boubou (L. leucorhynchus) are together the sister clade to L. willardi–L. p. camerunensis. Laniarius willardi and the geographically codistributed L. p. holomelas differ by .% in uncorrected sequence divergence, and elevational data taken from museum specimens suggest the possibility of elevational segregation of the species at ~, m, with L. willardi occurring at lower elevations. Our broad sampling of black and sooty boubou taxa indicate that () races of Mountain Sooty Boubou (L. poensis) do not form a monophyletic clade; () L. p. camerunensis may represent multiple, nonsister lineages; and () at least one race of Fülleborn’s Black Boubou (L. fuelleborni usambaricus) is genetically distinct from other races of that species. Received  June , accepted  December .
Book
Checklist of birds of Kenya, Uganda & Tanzania. Habitat, status & distribution
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