How Valuable is Degraded Habitat to Forest Birds? A Case Study in Bachok, Kelantan

Conservationists usually pay less attention to degraded habitats than primary forests since the former areas generally support less number of species. in this study, diversity and abundance of birds inhabiting degraded habitats were recorded in order to assess the capability of these habitats in conserving birds, particularly forest species. for this purpose, five visits were done to the district of bachok, kelantan, malaysia, from june 2008 until may 2009. the study area comprised mainly of small villages intersperse with small trees or shrubs and cash crop areas. a direct observation method was used to record the bird diversity in the study area. a total of 70 bird species were recorded in the study area and most of them are residents and insectivores, indicating that insects are abundant in the study area. in term of habitat utilisation, most recorded species are usually associated with open and country habitats, mangroves, as well as garden and parks. a total of nine species or 13% of the birds recorded in this area have greater association with forest habitats. some of these forest birds were observed feeding while others having their nests in the area. although degraded habitat in bachok area can play important roles in conserving forest birds, the value of these habitats cannot be established since these birds are not exclusively forest dependent and can be commonly found in secondary or disturbed forests. therefore, further studies on the behavioural aspects of forest birds need to be carried out to determine the level of resources required by forest specialists in degraded habitat