Avifauna of the H unting Area and Reserve of Bombo Lumene, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo: Diversity and Distribution in Differen t Habitats
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Abstract
Despite holding the most diverse assemblage of birds in the Afrotropics, ornithological surveys in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s network of reserves are notably rare. In this paper we provide the first well detailed inventory of bird species of Bombo-Lumene and their distribution across different habitats based on mist-netting specimens collection in three different habitats conducted between February and December 2023. We documented a total of 113 species, distributed in 34 families and 5 orders, including the threatened Cossypha heinrichi. As elsewhere in the country, Passeriformes, with over 80 species and 20 families, are the most represented species in Bombo-Lumene. We found that savanna and forest habitats hold the most diverse species communities whereas human transformed habitats such as thickets hold the least diverse communities. Overall, ecology indices based on species abundance suggest that assessed habitats in Bombo-Lumene are in good ecological health. Our results confirm the status of Important Bird Area (IBA) of the Bombo-Lumene protected area in Africa. Ethnic conflicts, increasing demand for land used in agriculture and human settlement, and poaching are the primary local threats on biological diversity of Bombo-Lumene in general and of its bird diversity in particular. Further surveys and studies in the reserve, covering all habitat types and an extended surface area of the reserve, are highly recommended to better capture its bird species composition and update strategies and policies for the conservation of these extremally diverse communities.
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