An Abridgement of the Birds Throughout the Diversity of Habitats

Abstract

Direct observations were used and checked with species described in several ornithological field guides, albeit with only one specifically focused on the Democratic Republic of Congo. The field observation documented 97 bird species belonging to 31 families in North Lake Tumba Landscape (Lake Tumba, the Ubangi River and Ngiri River) and 54 species in the South Lake Tumba. Both the crested guineafowl (Guttera pucherani) and the helmeted guineafowl (Numida meleagris) were reported in both parts. In the north, the numerically most important order was that of Passeriformes, which counted 11 species in six families (Corvidae, Laniidae, Muscicapidae, Paridae, Ploceidae, and Turdidae). The second most important order was that of Coraciiformes, which comprised 3 families and 9 species and was followed by the order of Ciconiiformes, with its two families (Ardeidae and Scopidae) and two species (Ardeola ibis and Scopus umbretta, belonging to the two families, respectively). The chapter attributes differences in species between the northern part and the southern part to the differentiation of habitat types in the south and in the north.