Free Standard AU & NZ Shipping For All Book Orders Over $80!
Register      Login
Emu Emu Society
Journal of BirdLife Australia
Shopping Cart: ( empty )
You are here: Home > Journals > MU > MU03030
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 105(2)

Species richness, habitat use and conservation of birds of Alor Island, Lesser Sundas, Indonesia

Colin R. Trainor
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

BirdLife International – Indonesia Programme, PO Box 310, Boo/Bogor, 16003, Indonesia. Present address: Tropical Savannas Management Cooperative Research Centre, Charles Darwin University, Casuarina, NT 0909, Australia. Email: colin.trainor@cdu.edu.au

Emu 105(2) 127-135 https://doi.org/10.1071/MU03030
Submitted: 9 July 2003  Accepted: 21 February 2005   Published: 30 June 2005

Abstract

In the Lesser Sundas, rainforest is a key habitat for endemic and threatened birds but avian community patterns on Alor Island, Indonesia, have never been examined. In May 2002, systematic observations were made in two major habitat types in Tanglapui Timur village lands to describe comparative patterns of habitat use and bird species-richness and to identify populations of restricted-range bird species. There were substantial differences in avifaunal composition between rainforest and Eucalyptus savanna, although ordination of bird species by plots revealed a continuum. Bird species-richness did not differ significantly between habitats, but the following species groups were strongly associated with rainforest: globally restricted-range species, forest-specialists, Oriental and Australo-Papuan species and frugivores. This result was associated with substantial structural differences, including greater canopy cover and canopy height in rainforest. Three species were recorded significantly more frequently in Eucalyptus savanna (Brown Honeyeater, Lichmera indistincta; Golden-bellied Gerygone, Gerygone sulphurea; and Pied Bushchat, Saxicola coprata). All six restricted-range species known from Alor were recorded, indicating the importance of the study site for conservation. Study is needed of the taxonomic relations of Alor populations of Lesser Shortwing (Brachypteryx leucophrys) and Yellow-breasted Warbler (Seicercus montis).


Acknowledgments

Heri Ndolu provided great support by making logistical arrangements and forging local contacts. Thanks to Neny Herdianawati (World Wide Fund for Nature, Kupang, Nusa Tenggara) for making some logistical arrangements; to Agustinus Mapota, Abia Mokoni and Simon Mokoni for guiding us around Mount Koya Koya; and to Yakob Mapota for providing information on local bird names and their meanings. Thanks to Meleyaki Mapota, the village head of Tanglapui Timur for his hospitality and interest during the visit. BirdLife International – Indonesia Programme obtained visas and permits through the Indonesian Forest Protection and Nature Conservation Department (PHKA) and provided field equipment. Don Franklin and John Woinarski kindly commented on a draft of the manuscript.


References

Bibby C., Jones M. J., and Marsden S. (1998). ‘Expedition Field Techniques, Bird Survey.’ (Royal Geographical Society: London.)

BirdLife International (2001). ‘Threatened Birds of Asia: The BirdLife International Red Data Book.’ (BirdLife International: Cambridge, UK.) http://www.rdb.or.id

BirdLife International (2003). ‘Saving Asia’s Threatened Birds: A Guide for Government and Civil Society.’ (CD-ROM.) (BirdLife International: Cambridge, UK.)

BirdLife International (2004). ‘Threatened Birds of the World 2004.’ (CD-ROM.) (BirdLife International: Cambridge, UK.)

Coates B. J., and Bishop K. D. (1997). ‘A Guide to the Birds of Wallacea: Sulawesi, The Moluccas and Lesser Sunda Islands, Indonesia.’ (Dove Publications: Brisbane.)

Debus S. (2002). Distribution, taxonomy, status and threatenening processes of owls in the Australasian region. In ‘The Ecology and Conservation of Owls’. (Eds I. Newton, R. Kavanagh, J. Olsen and I. Taylor.) pp. 346–354. (CSIRO Publishing: Melbourne.)

FAO/UNDP (1982). National Conservation Plan for Indonesia. 4: Nusa Tenggara. Field Report 44 of FAO/UNDP National Parks Development Project INS/78/061. (FAO: Bogor, Indonesia.)

Hartert, E. (1898). On the birds of Lomblen, Pantar and Alor. Novitates Zoologicae 5, 455–476.
Inskipp T., Lindsey N., and Duckworth W. A. (1996). ‘Checklist of the Birds of the Oriental Region.’ (Oriental Bird Club: Sandy, UK.)

Johnstone, R. E. , and Darnell, J. C. (1997a). Description of a new subspecies of bush-warbler from Alor Island, Indonesia. Western Australian Naturalist 21, 145–151.
Monk K. A., de Fretes Y., and Lilley G. (1997). The Ecology of Nusa Tenggara and Maluku. (Periplus Editions: Singapore.)

Noske R. A. (1997). The ecology of Timor birds. In ‘The Ecology of Nusa Tenggara and Maluku’. (Eds K. A. Monk, Y. de Fretes and G. Lilley.) pp. 353–362. (Periplus Editions: Singapore.)

Olsen, J. , Wink, M. , Sauer-Gurth, H. , and Trost, S. (2002). A new Ninox from Sumba, Indonesia. Emu 102, 223–231.
Norusis M. J. (1992). ‘SPSS Advanced Statistics User’s Guide.’ (SPSS Inc.: Chicago, IL.)

Poulsen, M. K. , and Lambert, F. R. (2000). Altitudinal distribution and habitat preferences of forest birds on Halmahera and Buru, Indonesia: implications for conservation of Moluccan avifaunas. Ibis 142, 566–586.
Regional Physical Planning Project for Transmigration (1989). ‘The Land Resources of Indonesia: a National Overview.’ (Regional Physical Planning Project for Transmigration, ODA/Ministry of Transmigration: Jakarta.)

Rombang W., Trainor C., and Lesmana D. (2002). ‘Daerah penting bagi burung: Nusa Tenggara.’ (Perlindungan dan Konservasi Alam – PKA/BirdLife International–Indonesia Program: Bogor, Indonesia.)

Rozendaal, F. G. (1987). Description of a new member of bush warbler of the genus Cettia Boonaparte, 1834 (Aves: Sylviidae) from Yamdena, Tanimbar Islands, Indonesia. Zoologische Mededelingen 61, 177–202.
Setiawan I., Jati A., Lesmana D., Trainor C., and Agista D. (2000). ‘Telaah awal status dan penyebaran Kakatua-kecil Jambul-kuning (Cacatua sulphurea parvula) di Pulau Alor, Pantar, Timor Barat, Flores dan Moyo.’ (Perlindungan dan Konservasi Alam – PKA/BirdLife/WWF: Bogor, Indonesia.)

Stattersfield A. J., Crosby M. J., Long A. J., and Wege D. C. (1998). ‘Endemic Bird Areas of the World: Priorities for Biodiversity Conservation.’ (BirdLife International: Cambridge, UK.)

Trainor, C. R. (2002a). Birds of Gunung Tambora, Sumbawa, Indonesia: effects of altitude, the 1812 cataclysmic volcanic eruption and trade. Forktail 18, 39–51.
White C. M. N., and Bruce M. D. (1986). ‘The Birds of Wallacea (Sulawesi, the Moluccas & Lesser Sunda Islands, Indonesia).’ (British Ornithologists’ Union: London.)

Woinarski J. C. Z., Recher H. F., and Majer J. D. (1997). Vertebrates of eucalypt formations. In ‘Eucalypt Ecology: Individuals to Ecosystems’. (Eds J. E. Williams and J. C. Z. Woinarski.) pp. 303–341. (Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK.)

Woinarski, J. C. Z. , Brock, C. , Armstrong, M. , Hempel, C. , Cheal, D. , and Brennan, K. (2000). Bird distribution in riparian vegetation in the extensive natural landscape of Australia’s tropical savanna: a broad-scale survey and analysis of a distributional data base. Journal of Biogeography 27, 843–868.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |





Appendix 1.  Summary of birds recorded at Tanglapui Timur, including presence in rainforest and Eucalyptus savanna and sample frequency from the 50, 10-min point-counts
Sample frequency is the number of point-count stations a species was recorded from. Taxonomy follows Inskipp et al. (1996). Status: CR = critically endangered, VU = vulnerable, RR = restricted-range, f = forest specialised. Biogeography groups: A = Australo-Papuan, C = cosmopolitan or Old World, O = Oriental, W = Wallacean. An asterix denotes species newly reported for Alor island. All species are resident on Alor except the Arctic Warbler, which is a Palearctic winter migrant
Click to zoom