Birds of the Rawa Aopa Watumohai National Park, South-East Sulawesi

The Rawa Aopa Watumohai National Park was visited between 9 September and 9 November 1995 and surveys conducted from a range of localities within the park. This constitutes the first study of the avi fauna of this large protected area. A total of 157 different species were recorded (155 to species level) including Mycteria cimerea, Macrocephalon maleo, Cacatua sulphurea and Zoosterops consobrinorum. An annotated list of selected species is presented and a full species list appears as an. appendix

The potential impacts of the songbird trade on mixed-species flocking

Mixed-species flocking is an important avian social system that supports a large number of species. Current reviews of threats to mixed flocks have only examined two types of anthropogenic pressures: different land use intensity and fragmentation. We highlight the bird trade as another major potential threat for many mixed-species flocking species in Southeast Asia. We examine the potential indirect impact of the bird trade by comparing social networks of flocking data collected over two periods nearly 20 years apart (1997 and 2016) from the same site in Sumatra, Indonesia. We find that the structure of the two networks was significantly correlated. However, of the 90 species observed, 49 had previously been identified as part of the bird trade. These species experienced a significantly greater decrease in network centrality over time compared to the non-traded species, resulting in a loss of structure in the mixed-species flocking network. Simulating further disturbances suggests that flocks may not be resilient to the complete loss of two or more traded species. Our results suggest that trapping is likely to be contributing to the degradation of flocks, and ultimately could lead to the widespread declines in those other species that also rely on mixed-species flocking

The potential impacts of the songbird trade on mixed-species flocking

Mixed-species flocking is an important avian social system that supports a large number of species. Current reviews of threats to mixed flocks have only examined two types of anthropogenic pressures: different land use intensity and fragmentation. We highlight the bird trade as another major potential threat for many mixed-species flocking species in Southeast Asia. We examine the potential indirect impact of the bird trade by comparing social networks of flocking data collected over two periods nearly 20 years apart (1997 and 2016) from the same site in Sumatra, Indonesia. We find that the structure of the two networks was significantly correlated. However, of the 90 species observed, 49 had previously been identified as part of the bird trade. These species experienced a significantly greater decrease in network centrality over time compared to the non-traded species, resulting in a loss of structure in the mixed-species flocking network. Simulating further disturbances suggests that flocks may not be resilient to the complete loss of two or more traded species. Our results suggest that trapping is likely to be contributing to the degradation of flocks, and ultimately could lead to the widespread declines in those other species that also rely on mixed-species flocking

Measuring the impact of the pet trade on Indonesian birds

The trade in wild animals involves one-third of the world's bird species and thousands of other vertebrate species. Although a few species are imperiled as a result of the wildlife trade, the lack of field studies makes it difficult to gauge how serious a threat it is to biodiversity. We used data on changes in bird abundances across space and time and information from trapper interviews to evaluate the effects of trapping wild birds for the pet trade in Sumatra, Indonesia. To analyze changes in bird abundance over time, we used data gathered over 14 years of repeated bird surveys in a 900-ha forest in southern Sumatra. In northern Sumatra, we surveyed birds along a gradient of trapping accessibility, from the edge of roads to 5 km into the forest interior. We interviewed 49 bird trappers in northern Sumatra to learn which species they targeted and how far they went into the forest to trap. We used prices from Sumatran bird markets as a proxy for demand and, therefore, trapping pressure. Market price was a significant predictor of species declines over time in southern Sumatra (e.g., given a market price increase of approximately $50, the log change in abundance per year decreased by 0.06 on average). This result indicates a link between the market-based pet trade and community-wide species declines. In northern Sumatra, price and change in abundance were not related to remoteness (distance from the nearest road). However, based on our field surveys, high-value species were rare or absent across this region. The median maximum distance trappers went into the forest each day was 5.0 km. This suggests that trapping has depleted bird populations across our remoteness gradient. We found that less than half of Sumatra's remaining forests are >5 km from a major road. Our results suggest that trapping for the pet trade threatens birds in Sumatra. Given the popularity of pet birds across Southeast Asia, additional studies are urgently needed to determine the extent and magnitude of the threat posed by the pet trad