Distribution and demographic trend of Algerian Nuthatch (Sitta ledanti) population of Mount Babor forest in Babor-Tababort National Park

Abstract

Summary The Algerian Nuthatch (Sitta ledanti) is the only bird species endemic to Algeria and it’s a protected species by the Algerian law since 1983. So far, we have no precise information on recent changes in population density as well as the demographic trends of this endangered species in its entire range in the Kabylia of Babors. The population of the species in the Babor-Tababort National Park remains the most abundant, with 275 individuals recorded in 2020. Thirty-eight years after the 1982 census, it multiplied with an annual multiplication rate of (λ) = 1.01 and grew with an annual growth rate of r = 1.36%. The Algerian Nuthatch has been present throughout the Mount Babor forest from 1,300 m altitude to the summit at 2,004 m altitude. The Algerian Nuthatch, in 2020, was more abundant in the mixed cedar forest because this type of forest covers the largest area in Mount Babor. The population of the species in the Mount Babor forest remains isolated that, however, could be connected to the population in the Tababort forest through the setting of an ecological corridor.