Tuesday, July 15, 2008 Rare birds found in subdivision
RARE and endangered plant and animal species have been found in a wooded area inside the Maria Luisa subdivision in Cebu City.
The discovery by homeowner Dr. Franz Sei-denschwarz, a German scientist studying Cebu’s biodiversity, has prompted the Maria Luisa Estate Park Association to convert the area into a nature park.
The nature park covers three hectares of uninhabited land and is in phase four of the 200-hectare subdivision in Banilad, Cebu City.
Seidenschwarz, a professor at the University of San Carlos, said the nature park is “incredibly rich in biodiversity” and hosts 35 bird species, among them the rare black shama (copsychus cebuensis).
35 bird species
He said that more than a third of Cebu’s avifauna is found in the Maria Luisa forest. Two of the 35 bird species are not even recorded for Cebu in the recent bird book of Robert Kennedy, “A Guide to Philippine Birds,” he added.
These are the large hawk-cuckoo (cuculus sparverioides), locally known as panu-igon, and the oriental cuckoo (cuculus saturatus).
To protect these birds, the association decided to improve the forest habitat by planting indigenous trees that provide food for endangered birds, bats and butterflies.
At the inauguration of the nature park last May 31, key officers of the homeowners’ association, led by president Marian Aboitiz, planted banilad, mabolo and hagulian seedlings. A rare species of molave was also planted.
Plant species
The choice of the plant species planted is specific.
The banilad tree, the first species ceremonially planted by Aboitiz, is a tribute to the barangay where Maria Luisa is located.
A place often got its name from whatever was abundant at the time, and Barangay Banilad got its name from the tree that was then plentiful in the hilly area.
Seidenschwarz said today it is hard to find a banilad tree in the barangay, one of the affluent in Cebu City.
The mabolo tree, which is kamagong in Tagalog and ebony in English, produces fine timber and its fruits are eaten by some birds and bats, he said.
The hagulian is a special tree variety that is endemic to the Visayas. Its fruits attract a large number of birds and bats and its flowers sustain caterpillars of certain butterfly species.
Bird songs
“The seeds for the hagulian trees were collected in Tabunan forest. It was the first time ever that this tree was ever planted in a new habitat,” Seidenschwarz said.
He said that while they were planting trees in the nature park, they heard “melodious songs of several black shamas.”
“For many of us, it was the first time to listen to the unique melody of the black shama’s song,” he said.
The black shama, the German scientist pointed out, is not the siloy (copsychus saularis).
While both are magnificent and intelligent songbirds, they are not the same. Their songs are distinct from each other’s, Seidenschwarz said.
The black shama is Cebu-endemic and has been declared the provincial bird of Cebu.
Aside from the black shama and siloy, other birds that can be heard singing at the Maria Luisa nature park are tagmaya and pied fantail.
Black hooded pitta, mangrove blue flycatcher, variable dwarf kingfisher, slaty-legged crake, Philippine nightjar and oriental cuckoo are also seen in the park.
Gateway to nature
Seidenschwarz said an inventory will be conducted to get a list of all the plants and animals in the park.
The park will be “a gateway to nature,” providing “a wonderful opportunity to discover Cebu’s unique biodiver-sity,” he said.
