Current view: Text account
Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
Kianyaga comprises a landscape of ridges and steep-sided valleys on the south-eastern slopes of Mount Kenya. These valleys often hold small, swampy streams, which drain into tributaries of the Tana river. The area is entirely settled and cultivated, predominantly with coffee and maize; arrowroot and other crops are grown in the valleys. The remaining small areas of natural wetland include plants such as
Triumfetta tomentosa,
Croton macrostachyus and
Cyperus rotundus. Scattered indigenous trees, mainly
Prunus africana,
Ficus natalensis and
Millettia dura, still remain. Thickets of the exotic
Lantana camara occur at the edges of cultivation, in fallow farmland and untended coffee plantations, and in inaccessible parts of the valleys.
See Box and Table 2 for key species. The diversity of other birds is low: a six-month study carried out in 1993 recorded only 94 species, all characteristic of disturbed habitats in the central highlands. However, this is a centre of abundance for the threatened, restricted-range
Turdoides hindei, a species endemic to central Kenya. Groups of this babbler occupy many of the valleys and swamps, with an estimated total population size of 250 birds in 66 groups (3.1 birds/km of watercourse).
Non-bird biodiversity: Very little other wildlife of note occurs.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
This site is critically important for the conservation of
Turdoides hindei. These babblers live in groups in the river valleys and swamps, and depend on small thickets of the exotic
Lantana camara for shelter and nest sites. The fast-growing human population is intensifying pressure on the land. Almost all the natural wetland vegetation has been cleared for cultivation, and smaller and smaller areas are left fallow. Babbler breeding success is already low, apparently as a result of human disturbance, and the birds are also hunted for food. With adequate thicket cover, the babblers can persist in habitats severely modified by people. However, their conservation in this agricultural setting will require innovative approaches—perhaps the setting aside of a number of small sanctuaries centred on schools and other public institutions, as well as an extensive public education campaign.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Kianyaga valleys (Kenya). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/kianyaga-valleys-iba-kenya on 26/11/2024.
