| The beautiful nuthatch, Sitta formosa, occurs in high-altitude evergreen and semi-evergreen forests throughout the south and southeastern extent of the Himalayan Mountains. Populations of S. formosa are small, declining and severely fragmented as a result of habitat degradation and fragmentation, and therefore it is considered vulnerable by the World Conservation Union and is included in the 2004 Red List of Threatened Species. I used ecological niche factor analysis to model the potential distribution and predict suitable habitat for S. formosa. By using 59 presence locations, collected from museum specimens and biodiversity surveys, and together with topographic and climate variables, I found S. formosa to be linked to much greater than average rainfall and greater than average slopes throughout the study area. S. formosa presence points were highly correlated with mature forests (frequency = 0.86), consisting of evergreen broadleaf, deciduous broadleaf and mixed forests. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)... |
