The Bird Community of a Sandstone Plateau Monsoon Forest at Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory

Abstract

We describe the bud species composition of a closed forest on sandstone plateau at Kakadu National Park. This bird community is very distinct from that of adjacent vegetation types and has more similarity with that of northern lowland closed forests. However, its bud community differs from that of lowland closed forests in its much lower density and diversity, and in having a different composition of foraging types (notably, fewer arboreal omnivores, large foliage-gleaners, sally insectivores, granivores and frugivores). Density and species diversity is low. There is clear segregation in foraging behaviour between all bud species of the plateau closed forest. in contrast to the richer closed forests of tropical Queensland where foraging groups of bird species may be tightly-packed