In South Africa, evergreen forest is confined to a band of Afromontane 'mist-belt' forest on the eastern escarpment which extends southwards from the Soutpansberg in northern Transvaal through eastern Transvaal, Natal, Transkei and adjacent parts of Swaziland to the eastern Cape, and along the southern and eastern coasts in southern Mozambique, eastern Natal, Transkei and the Cape.

A group of restricted-range species is endemic to these forests, several of which occur in both coastal and montane forests, so they are treated together as a single EBA (see Allan and Nuttall 1995). In the southern Cape, there is some overlap between this EBA and the Cape fynbos (EBA 088), as a few of the restricted-range birds of this EBA range into the forest mosaic within the fynbos biome, but seldom enter fynbos vegetation (K. Barnes in litt. 1996). This EBA is also adjacent to the South African grasslands (EBA 091), but there is no overlap, as the birds of that EBA occur in open grasslands. One species of the South African forests ranges close to the South-east African coast (EBA 092), but there is no true overlap as the birds of that EBA do not occur in evergreen forest.

The restricted-range bird species are all found in evergreen forest, and some also range into adjacent scrub and thickets. Most are found in both montane and coastal forest, but Lioptilus nigricapillus is confined to montane mist-belt forest and adjacent scrubby hillsides, and Campethera notata and Bradypterus sylvaticus are confined to the coastal lowlands. Cercotrichas signata is the only species which extends up the northern Natal coast into Mozambique, where it ranges northwards to Ponta Zavora (near Lagoa Poelela).

None of the restricted-range birds is threatened because the forests of the EBA are relatively well protected (about 77% of the EBA's remaining area of natural forest is included within protected areas: Allan and Nuttall 1995) and because several of the species appear able to adapt to man-modified habitats. A more widespread threatened species which occurs in this EBA (and is migratory within it) is Spotted Ground-thrush Zoothera guttata (classified as Endangered).

Stattersfield, A. J., Crosby, M. J., Long, A. J. and Wege, D. C. (1998) Endemic Bird Areas of the World. Priorities for biodiversity conservation. BirdLife Conservation Series 7. Cambridge, UK: BirdLife International.

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Endemic Bird Area factsheet: South African forests. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/eba/factsheet/120 on 23/12/2024.