Abstract:
We conducte
d an
extensive avifaunal survey in the
poorly known
dryland hilltop
forests
of Kitui and
Mwingi Districts to provide an inventory of the birds species. The survey covered f
ive dryland hilltop
masses namely
:
Mutha, Endau, Nuu, Mutito and Mumoni between Octo
ber 2004 and June 2005
covering wet and dry seasons. A combination of Timed Species Counts, Mist
-
netting and general
observations were employed to sample birds at different micro
-
habitat types and altitude levels. A total
of 149 species within 44 families
were encountered during the entire study period. A total of 363
individuals of 35 bird species were
ringed
through the standard mist
-
netting procedures. Some four
Afro
-
Tropical and 14 Palaearctic migrants were recorded. There w
as
a total of 14 new
species
records
for this area which included
five
globally threatened species, namely:
African Crowned Eagle
(confirmed breeding), Martial Eagle, Ayers’s Hawk Eagle, Lesser Kestrel and Hinde’s Babbler.
Other
species of conservation concern include the White Stork
(
Ciconia ciconia
). These Hills are clearly
important sites for raptors both Afrotropical and palaearctic migrants.
These sites have high po
tential
for bird
-
watching and Avi
-
tourism due to the high diversity and abundance of
beautiful
birds
and
sceneries
.
T
he baseline data reported here suggest that these forests are of exceptional conservation
important for birds and we
recommend that these sites be considered for inclusion in the Kenya’s
Important Bird Areas (IBA) network.
