Data Zone
Country/territory: Ethiopia
IBA criteria met: A3 (1996)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 18,000 ha
Site description (2001 baseline)
Yegof forest is in South Welo Zone, on a steep mountain ridge overlooking Kombolcha town, 395 km north of Addis Ababa. It is composed of natural highland forest and plantations of fast-growing exotic trees. The natural forest, which once covered Mt Yegof, comprised dry evergreen, and mixed conifer and broadleaved trees. It is dominated by Juniperus procera. Other characteristic tree species are Olea europaea cuspidata, Erica arborea and Hypericum revolutum, with H. quartinianum at the higher altitudes. Lower down are various Acacia spp., Bersama abyssinica, Croton macrostachyus, Syzygium guineense, Rhus vulgaris, tree Euphorbia spp., Albizia spp. and (even lower) Cordia africana.
Key biodiversity
See Box and Table 3 for key species. A survey in April 1996 recorded 62 species at the site. Parophasma galinieri was particularly numerous. Dendropicos abyssinicus was found nesting and Laniarius aethiopicus was seen collecting nesting material. Other species of interest include Columba arquatrix and Centropus monachus. The Phoeniculus purpureus seen here have entirely red bills.
Non-bird biodiversity: The endemic subspecies Tragelaphus scriptus meneliki occurs.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Yegof forest (Ethiopia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/yegof-forest-iba-ethiopia on 23/11/2024.