Bird Diversity of Dekinda Forest Reserve, Balana, Sri Lanka: Implications for Conservation

Abstract

Dekinda Forest Reserve, located close to the historic town of Balana, Sri Lanka (7 o 16' N, 80 o 29' E, 525-585 m above sea level) consists of rainforest plant species spanning an area of about 40 ha. The forest has been maintained since the colonial times as a watershed reserve for nearby plantations, most of which comprised tea and paddy. The objective of the present study was to measure the avifaunal diversity in Dekinda Forest Reserve, as an indicator of its overall biodiversity, and compare it with those of nearby home gardens. The study was conducted from March to June, 2012. Point counts with unlimited distance were used in conjunction with Distance © software (Release 6) to document the abundance and density of bird species. Peak counting hours were between 0600-0900 h and 1600-1830 h. Counts were made weekly. Despite its small size, the forest reserve is home to 56 bird species. Among the notable species, there were six endemic species, namely, the Sri Lanka wood pigeon (Columba torringtoni) (estimated density 8/km 2 ), Layard's parakeet (Psittacula calthorpae) (19/km 2 ), Sri Lanka lorikeet (Loriculus beryllinus) (70/km 2 ), yellowfronted barbet (Megalaima flavifrons) (79/km 2 ), Sri Lanka scimitar babbler (Pomatorhinus melanurus) (11/km 2 ), and brown-capped babbler (Pellorneum fuscocapillus) (10/km 2 ). In addition, four proposed endemic species were also recorded. Given the importance of this forest as a watershed area and the large number of bird species it supports, Dekinda Forest Reserve is clearly an important site for biodiversity conservation.

Conservational significance of Dunumadalawa Forest Reserve in Central Sri Lanka based on the endemism of its avifauna

“…A study done in Ritigala Strict Natural Reserve in the northcentral dry zone has recorded 97 bird species out of which five endemic species (which means low endemism) (DWC, 2008). A more recent study conducted in Dekinda Forest, which is a hill rain forest enclosed by a municipal area in Balana has recorded 56 bird species with 34% of endemism (Wijesundara and Wijesundara, 2014). The percentage endemism in Dekinda forest is somewhat closer to the present study.…”

“…For all other contacts, the radial distance was estimated to the nearest meter (Wijesundara and Wijesundara, 2014). For a group of birds, the geometric centre was considered to estimate the distance (Ralph and Scott, 1981;Wijesundara and de Silva, 2005).…”

The Significance of Habitat Characteristics to the Spatial Distribution of Local Avian Assemblage at Gannoruwa Mountain Forest Reserve, Kandy, Sri Lanka

“…Despite the anthropophilic species such as brownheaded barbet, red-vented bulbul, and yellow-billed babbler [26,31] some forest loving birds such as Sri Lanka wood pigeon and emerald-collared parakeet [21] were observed to actively utilize resources available in these habitats. Although these observations are from our area of study, avian assemblages were typical to other neighborhood study systems available in literature [15,32,33]. The most important factors influencing avifaunal community structure were elevation, distance from the edge, and the canopy closure.…”

Response of tropical birds to habitat modifications in fragmented forest patches: A case from a tropical lowland rainforest in south-west Sri Lanka

“…It was further observed that habitat edges are rich in raptors and other birds of prey (carnivore feeding guild). This may be due to an increased amount of microhabitats, visibility and prey (Kottawa-Arachchi et al 2012, Wijesundara andWijesundara 2014). A high abundance of granivores in edge habitats may be explained by the presence of grassy vegetation and domestic kitchen waste disposed of in home gardens, which attracts granivores.…”