Comparative avian biodiversity of five mountains in northern Cameroon and Bioko

Endemism among birds is widespread in the montane forests of western Camero on and the Gulf of Guinea. The region includes some of the rarest and most threatened species in Africa. We conducted avian surveys of four previously unsurveyed montane sites in northern Cameroon, including Mt. Ngang-Ha, Hos ere Vokre, Tchabal Gandaba, and Tchabal Mbabo, as well as the northern slop e of Caldera de Luba on the island of Bioko, Equatorial Guinea. We report h ere on avian species richness and relative abundance, and evaluate the cons ervation potential of each site based on avifaunal richness. The montane fo rest on both Tchabal Mbabo and Caldera de Luba is extensive, while on the o ther mountains, the vegetation is not characteristic of montane forest, and consists primarily of small gallery forests embedded in savanna. Tchabal M babo and Caldera de Luba had the greatest species richness and abundance of montane birds, while Tchabal Gandaba had the greatest overall avian specie s richness and abundance. Few montane species were noted on Mt. Ngang-Ha an d Hosere: Vokre, and avian abundance was quite low on both mountains. Of th e mountains surveyed, Tchabal Mbabo and Caldera de Luba exhibit the greates t potential for conservation based on extent of montane forest, and montane species richness and abundance.