ECOLOGICAL AFFINITIES OF THE AVIFAUNA AT QUOIN HILL

More time was spent at Quoin Hill than at any other locality. Fifty five of the more common and hence best-known birds are listed in Table 1 together with their primary and secondary preferences of habitat. The habitat distribution of the birds shows the amount of secondary utilization of habitats by birds that occurred predominantly in one habitat. Cocoa was utilized by 6.2 per cent of the birds of the primary forest, and 88.8 per cent of birds of the secondary forest. This indicates that cocoa is an effective substitute for secondary forest for some birds. Of the species of the primary forest, 18.7 per cent occurred also in secondary forest; thus, three times as many species of primary forest utilized secondary forest as utilized cocoa. This too might be expected, since "secondary" forest is of frequent natural occurrence and an ancient feature while the comparatively simple cocoa plantings are new and artificial.

TABLE 1.—Habitat preferences of 55 Quoin Hill birds.

X=Primary O=Secondary SpeciesPrimary forestSecondary forestCocoa plantationsFluviatile waterAbaca

Treron curvirostra X

Cacomantis merulinus OX

Chalcites malayanus X

Phaenicophaeus chlorophaeus OX

Harpactes diardi X

Harpactes duvauceli X

Alcedo euryzona X

Ceyx erithacus X

Eurystomus orientalis XO

Calorhamphus fuliginosus OX

Megalaima chrysopogon XO

Megalaima henrici XO

Sasia abnormis OX

Meiglyptes tukki X

Dryocopus javensis XO

Chrysocolaptes validus OX

Eurylaimus ochromalus OX

Pitta guajana X

Coracina fimbriata X

Aegithina viridissima X

Chloropsis cyanopogon X

Irena puella X

Pycnonotus brunneus X

Criniger bres XO

Criniger phaeocephalus X

Criniger finschii X

Hypsipetes criniger XO

Copsychus pyrrhopygus X

Copsychus stricklandi XO

Enicurus ruficapillus X

Pellorneum capistratum X

Trichastoma malaccense XO

Trichastoma sepiarium X

Malacopteron magnum XO

Malacopteron magnirostre XO

Kenopia striata X

Stachyris poliocephala X

Alcippe brunneicauda XO

Orthotomus atrogularis X

Orthotomus sepium XO

Rhipidura perlata X

Muscicapa dumetoria X

Rhinomyias umbratilis X

Hypothymis azurea X

Anthreptes simplex X

Anthreptes rhodolaema X

Nectarinia hypogrammica X

Arachnothera longirostris X

Arachnothera flavigaster X

Arachnothera chrysogenys X

Arachnothera affinis X

Zosterops everetti OX

Lonchura fuscans XO

Oriolus xanthonotus XO

Platysmurus leucopterus XO

Total Primary 16181424

Total Secondary 181400

The avifauna at Quoin Hill was a mixture of montane, submontane, and lowland species. Smythies (1957:527) defines four altitudinal areas of distribution: Higher Montane, Montane, Submontane, and Lowland. Higher Montane birds have not been recorded on mountains the summits of which are lower than 5,000 feet, although on higher peaks the actual lower limit of occurrence may be considerably below 5,000 feet. Montane birds have not been recorded on mountains the summits of which are lower than 3,000 feet, although specimens may have been taken below that altitude on higher peaks. Submontane, as defined by Smythies, is a comprehensive term applied to birds occurring from sea level to an elevation of 5,000 feet but ordinarily not found away from mountainous country. The Lowland birds normally range from sea level to 3,000 feet. Of the 125 species of birds observed at Quoin Hill, 1.6 per cent were Montane, 14.4 per cent were Submontane and 84 per cent were Lowland species. The distribution of birds 12 miles north of Kalabakan closely resembled that at Quoin Hill except for the total absence of Montane species and an increase of Submontane species to 25 per cent. The observation of fewer species (48) can be attributed to the nearly uniform habitat.

The avifauna in the moss forest 5.5 miles southwest of Tenom was unusual in that 45.4 per cent consisted of Lowland species; this locality lies 4,000 feet above sea level, yet only 27.3 per cent of its species were Submontane and 27.3 per cent Montane. If one looks at these figures from the standpoint of the actual importance of the three groups at this place, however, a different picture emerges. Some of the Lowland species were seen only once while I was there and few were common, while all of the Submontane and most of the Montane forms were more or less common.