Tropical forests harbour 72% of the world's bird species. The changing land uses have fragmented natural forests or replaced them with plantation forests. This sets in an argument as to whether forest fragments and plantations can support birds. We assessed birds in a plantation, fragment and an intact (continuous) Budongo forest, Uganda. We compared bird species composition, diversity and functional traits between the forests and examined their response to habitat characteristics. We sampled birds using 135 point counts along nine transects and assessed habitat characteristics in 90 plots in the fragment and intact forest. We classified bird species according to habitat preference and feeding guild. Bird species composition differed between forests. Bird abundance and richness in plantation and fragment were lower than in intact forest. Forest specialists and insectivores dominated the intact forest. Most birds in the fragment were forest generalists and frugivores. Forest visitors and granivores dominated in the plantation. Trachyphorus purpuratus, Andropadus latirostris and A. curvirostris preferred sites with greater tree height, diameter and many snags, respectively. Bird species abundance and richness declined with increasing tree diameter and increased with snags. Forest specialists preferred sites without climbers. Thus, plantations and fragments close to intact forests provide surrogate habitats for bird conservation.

中文翻译：

---

毗邻完整森林的松树种植园和原生森林碎片为非洲热带森林景观中的鸟类提供了替代栖息地

热带森林栖息着世界上 72% 的鸟类。土地用途的变化导致天然林支离破碎或被人工林取代。这就引发了关于森林碎片和种植园是否可以支持鸟类的争论。我们评估了乌干达布东戈种植园、片段和完整（连续）森林中的鸟类。我们比较了森林之间鸟类的物种组成、多样性和功能特征，并研究了它们对栖息地特征的反应。我们沿 9 个样带使用 135 个点计数对鸟类进行了采样，并评估了碎片和完整森林中 90 个样地的栖息地特征。我们根据栖息地偏好和饲养习惯对鸟类进行分类。森林之间的鸟类种类组成不同。人工林和碎片中的鸟类丰度和丰富度低于完整森林。森林专家和食虫动物主宰了完整的森林。该片段中的大多数鸟类都是森林通才和食果动物。森林游客和食谷动物在种植园中占主导地位。Trachyphorus purpuratus、Andropadus latirostris和A. curvirostris分别喜欢树高、直径较大和障碍较多的地点。鸟类物种的丰度和丰富度随着树木直径的增加而下降，并随着树干的增加而增加。森林专家更喜欢没有登山者的地点。因此，靠近完整森林的种植园和碎片为鸟类保护提供了替代栖息地。