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ORIGIN OF THE AVIFAUNA OF URBAN AND SUBURBAN SINGAPORE
Author(s) -
Ward Peter
Publication year - 1968
Publication title -
ibis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.933
H-Index - 80
eISSN - 1474-919X
pISSN - 0019-1019
DOI - 10.1111/j.1474-919x.1968.tb00036.x
Subject(s) - mangrove , geography , peninsula , deforestation (computer science) , habitat , ecology , east coast , rainforest , ecological niche , environmental protection , archaeology , physical geography , biology , computer science , programming language
Summary A list of the commoner garden and town birds of the tropical city of Singapore is given. None of them are birds of the rain forest which formerly covered the island. The majority are coastal species the natural habitats of which were mangrove and the thin fringe of savanna along parts of the east coast of the Malayan Peninsula. The reasons for this are discussed. The number of garden species is comparatively small and many niches appear to be vacant. These are expected to be filled mainly by open country species moving down the peninsula from Burma and Thailand along the corridors being opened up by deforestation. This process has already begun, though few species have yet reached as far south as Singapore. The garden avifauna is unstable and numerous changes in status have occurred in the last few decades; many more are predicted.