To keep tabs on ecosystem health in Borneo, follow these birds: Study

The scientists from the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and Indonesia’s Tanjungpura University have found that six Bornean bird species are strong indicators of intact forests — mixed dipterocarp and heath — in West Kalimantan, a province in Indonesian Borneo. They include the great argus (Argusianus argus), the cinnamon-rumped trogon (Harpactes orrhophaeus), and the rhinoceros hornbill (Buceros rhinoceros).

The study, published April 29 in the journal Global Ecology and Conservation, also found that three other species were good indicators of a depleted forest state: the mustached babbler (Malacopteron magnirostre), the brown-cheeked bulbul (Alophoixus bres) and the chestnut-backed scimitar babbler (Pomatorhinus montanus). The white-bellied erpornis (Erpornis zantholeuca), meanwhile, was found to be a good indicator species for mixed gardens, while none were indicators for oil palm farms.