|
| The avifauna of the coastal forest patches between the Rufiji and Ruvuma
Rivers, southeast Tanzania, have so far received little ornithological
attention compared to, for instance, the montane forests of the Eastern Arc
Mountains. This is surprising given the large number of studies of other
animals and plants that have documented high species richness and,
especially for trees, very high numbers of species with restricted distributions
(Clarke et al. 2000).
This paper summarises information on the distribution of forest birds in
the 11 coastal forests in Tanzania south of the Rufiji River for which we have
been able to trace data and from our own fieldwork in six forests in 2001. We
also include information on old records of forest birds collected near
Mikindani although the exact location is unknown. We briefly discuss the
species richness of the forests, make a comparison with some other
Tanzanian lowland forests and provide new information on distribution
and habitat selection of some of the forest birds encountered during our
fieldwork. Finally, we explore the hypothesis that the Lindi Plateau forests
in the southern part of the study area were a refugium for lowland forest
birds during Pleistocene glaciations and that the isolation led to
differentiation and the formation of a local centre of endemism. | |
|