Zoological expeditions to the Krakatau Islands, 1984 and 1985 IV. Vertebrates V. General Discussion - The birds of Krakatau Islands (Indonesia)

Fifty-five species of birds were recorded from the four islands of the Krakatau archipelago during three expeditions that took place in 1984, 1985 and 1986, just over a century after the destructive eruption of 1883. Thirty-six of these species were non-migrant land birds, the remainder seabirds, shorebirds or migrants. Fourteen species were recorded for the first time in this decade, eight of which are resident land birds. There were many new records for individual islands, especially for Panjang, an island ignored by previous expeditions; Anak Krakatau supported 24 species of resident land birds on some 12-14 ha (1 hectare = 104 m2) of vegetation. The avifauna of the Krakataus is compared and contrasted with that of two other islands in the Sunda Strait, Sebesi and Panaitan.