Distribution and population size of the threatened East Coast Akalat in Arabuko-Sokoke Forest, Kenya

The East Coast Akalat Sheppardia gunningi sokokensis is one of six globally threatened bird species that occur in the Arabuko-Sokoke Forest, the large st remnant of forest on the East African coast. The akalat has been little studied but appears to have a patchy distribution both between and within f orests. From October 1995 to February 1996 we studied the akalat's status i n Arabuko-Sokoke, carrying out transect counts and plot-based surveys to de termine its distribution and population size. Playback of calls was used to stimulate the bird to reveal its presence. The akalat was present in two o f the forest's main vegetation types, Cynometra woodland and Mixed forest. It was absent from the more open Brachystegia woodland, and from low-canopi ed intermediate Cynometra and Cynometra a thicket. In Cynometra woodland, t he akalats were evenly distributed at high densities (estimated at 87 pairs /km(2)). Within the Mixed forest distribution was patchy, and the akalats w ere absent from areas with high human disturbance. Where the species did oc cur, densities were lower (estimated at 12 pairs/km(2)) than in the Cynomet ra woodland. Arabuko-Sokoke may hold up to 9 000 pairs of this species, per haps the largest single population in the world. Most of these are in the C ynometra woodland, which is also of crucial conservation importance for the threatened Sokoke Scops Owl Otus ireneae.