Is forest remnants able to support bird community? Case in tropical lowland forest of West Java, Indonesia

Abstract

Lowland tropical forests have undergone intensive fragmentation, resulting in the creating of many forest remnants. The aim of the research was to reveal how much tropical lowland forest remnant in West Java is able to support bird communities. The research was conducted during rainy and dry season in Dramaga and Haurbentes Experiment Forest (each covered 60 ha), by employing a standard point count method, for 5 days in each land use, using a 1.2 km transects of 5 points each (300 m distance) in April to October 2016. Shannon-Wiener (H’) and Jaccard’s similarity indices (SIJ) were calculated. The variation of species composition for both seasons was also compared. Bird richness was 30 species for Dramaga (H’ 2.72) and 39 species for Haurbentes (H’ 2.91), both seasons combined. SIJ was 0.39 (both seasons combined). Season had a significant impact on bird diversity and composition, where rainy season supported more birds in Haurbentes, but the opposite in Dramaga. Forest remnants were able to support the bird community, mostly small-sized insectivores, frugivores, granivores, and nectarivores. Small remnants were not able to support raptors (e.g., kite), medium to large-sized frugivores (hornbills, pigeon), medium-sized woodpeckers, as well as species preferred thick bushes and shrubs (e.g. babbler, starlings, crows, magpies).