Taita Apalis (Apalis fuscigularis)

Mohamed bin Zayed Species project number 10051316

This project focuses on the Taita Apalis, Apalis fuscigularis, a Critically Endangered bird endemic to patches of natural forest in the Taita Hills of Southern Kenya (38°20' East 03°25' South). The entire world range of the Taita Apalis is less than 500 ha (5 km²).

The Taita Hills of South Eastern Kenya are the northernmost reach of the Eastern Arc, one of the world's 34 biodiversity hotspots (Mittermeier et al. 2004). Human impact is strong in the Taita, where deforestation hits 95% or more (Rogo & Oguge, 2000). The Taita are one of the key sites for biodiversity conservation in Kenya, with numerous endemic plants, vertebrates and invertebrates (BirdLife International 2009).

The Taita apalis is one of the world's rarest birds. In 2001 (Borghesio et al., 2010) we found it in only three forest fragments (Chawia, Ngangao and Vuria, an area of only 257 ha), and we estimated a population of only 310-654 individuals.

With the current project, we performed a monitoring of the abundance and distribution of the Taita apalis within its major strongholds: the forest fragments of Ngangao, Chawia and Vuria, which together hold >90% of the world population of the species. The results of the survey provide a worrying picture of major and continuing population decrements. All in all, observation rates of Taita apalis decreased by 85% in the last ten years (2001 to 2012). The causes of this major decrement are still incompletely known, but we suspect that nest predation and habitat deterioration caused by persistent drought conditions in the region are among the primary factors. The entire population of the Taita apalis might now be reduced to less than 200 individuals.

One major positive result of the survey was the discovery of a new subpopulation of Taita apalis in Msidunyi, a tiny fragment of indigenous forest that has escaped detection in previous surveys due to its location in a rugged and not easily accessed site. Msidunyi forest is still incompletely explored, but our preliminary assessment suggests that about 30-50 individuals of Taita apalis might live in the area. This might represent as much as 20% of the global population of the species. Unfortunately, Msidunyi forest is not protected by the Kenyan law at the moment, and therefore is severely threatened. Putting Msidunyi forest fragment under protection is a high conservation priority.