Surveys of Avifauna at Gunung Inas Forest Reserve in Kedah, Malaysia

Abstract

Surveys of avifauna were conducted at Gunung Inas Forest Reserve in Kedah, which constitutes under the Central Forest Spine (CFS) ecological corridor named K-PL1: Ulu Muda Forest Reserve – Gunung Inas Forest Reserve. The surveys were carried out in September and October 2023. The objective of the study is to update the checklist of avifauna recorded at the Gunung Inas Forest Reserve. In this study, two study plots of one-hectare each were established and referred to as Gunung Inas Forest Reserve I (Gunung Inas FR I) and Gunung Inas Forest Reserve II (Gunung Inas FR II). The one-hectare size plot consists of 10 transect lines. A total of 10 mist nets were deployed at each site. The mist-nets were set for five consecutive nights per session, with two sampling sessions per site. In additions, direct observations were also conducted especially for nocturnal and canopy-dwelling species. A total of 47 individuals, comprising 31 species of avifauna (18 families) were documented. In this study, Gunung Inas FR I obtained a higher number of recorded avifauna species with a total of 22 species (15 families), whilst Gunung Inas FR II harbor least records with 16 species (12 families). There is an additional of 28 species recorded during these surveys in comparison to the previous studies, thus, giving the overall cumulative avifauna species recorded is 84 species. Through these results, it is shown that this fragmented forest under K-PL1 still resides by a vast array of avifauna species. Hence, it is hoped that the significance of Gunung Inas FR as a vital habitat for these flying vertebrates can be further emphasized, and appropriate conservation measures must be taken to safeguard their population.