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A first estimate of the population size of Loveridge's Sunbird Nectarinia loveridgei, endemic to the Uluguru Mountains, Tanzania

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 April 2004

ANDERS P. TØTTRUP ,
JØRN LENNART LARSEN  and
NEIL D. BURGESS
ANDERS P. TØTTRUP
Affiliation:
Zoological Museum of Copenhagen, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, 2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark. E-mail: [email protected]
JØRN LENNART LARSEN
Affiliation:
Zoological Museum of Copenhagen, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, 2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark. E-mail: [email protected]
NEIL D. BURGESS
Affiliation:
Conservation Science Programme, WWF-US, 1250 24th Street NW, Washington D.C., U.S.A. Uluguru Mountains Biodiveristy Conservation Project, P.O. Box 312, Morogoro, Tanzania
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Abstract

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The Eastern Arc Mountains of East Africa are known for an exceptionally rich flora and fauna with very high endemism. For the conservation of rare forest birds these mountains are of the utmost importance in Africa. We provide the first population estimate of the endemic Loveridge's Sunbird Nectarinia loveridgei in the Uluguru Mountains of eastern Tanzania. Our study was conducted between September and December 2000. Capture-recapture using mistnets was used to gather data at eleven study sites between 1,300–2,600 m altitude in four different areas of the Ulugurus. The program CAPTURE was used to estimate the population at each study site. Since the home range of Loveridge's Sunbird is unknown, the density of the potential population was calculated by assuming home ranges ranging from 0 km2 through to 3 km2. When combined with data on the forest area in the Ulugurus and fixing the lower and upper home range sizes for this species at 0.1 km2 and 0.8 km2, we obtain an estimated total population ranging from 21,000 to 166,000 individuals. A median home range of 0.45 km2 estimates the population close to 37,000 individuals. The species does not seem threatened but its long-term survival will depend on the survival of the forest, and in particular on how well the forest reserves on the Ulugurus are managed in the future.

Type
Research Article
Information
Bird Conservation International , Volume 14 , Issue 1 , March 2004 , pp. 25 - 32
Copyright
BirdLife International 2004