Zambezian Cryptosepalum dry forests
Encyclopedia
The Zambezian Cryptosepalum dry forests consists of two areas of thick forest in Southern Africa
Southern Africa
Southern Africa is the southernmost region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. Within the region are numerous territories, including the Republic of South Africa ; nowadays, the simpler term South Africa is generally reserved for the country in English.-UN...
and is one of the largest areas of tropical evergreen forest in the world apart from those right on the equator.
Location
The forest are found on rolling hills of sandy soil drained by the Kabompo RiverKabompo River
The Kabompo River is one of the main tributaries of the upper Zambezi River river. It flows entirely in Zambia, rising to the east of the source of the Zambezi, in North-Western Province along the watershed between the Zambezi and Congo river basins which also forms the border between Zambia and DR...
of northern Barotseland
Barotseland
Barotseland is a region in the western part of Zambia, and is the homeland of the Lozi people or Barotse who were previously known as Luyi or Aluyi. Its heartland is the Barotse Floodplain on the upper Zambezi River, also known as Bulozi or Lyondo, but it includes the surrounding higher ground of...
in Western Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
, with one area across the border in Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
.
The climate is tropical savanna, with average annual temperature around 21°C.
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Flora
Mainly the tall mukwe trees (Crypotsepalum exfoliatum pseudotaxus) and the dense undergrowth of creepers and mosses that lie underneath them.Fauna
The forests are home to a variety of wildlife including ungulates such Yellow-backed DuikerYellow-backed Duiker
The Yellow-backed Duiker , is an antelope found in central and western Africa. They have the widest range of any duiker in the genus Cephalophus....
, Blue Duiker
Blue Duiker
Blue Duiker is a small forest dwelling duiker found in the Central Africa and southern South Africa.Blue Duikers stand around 35 centimetres tall at the shoulder and weigh 4 kilograms.They are the smallest of the antelope family. Blue Duikers have a brown coat with a slight blue tinge – hence...
and their predators, as well as other species such as bushpigs. The only two endemic species are a mammal Rosevear's Striped Grass Mouse, and a bird White-chested Tinkerbird
White-chested Tinkerbird
The White-chested Tinkerbird is a species of bird in the Lybiidae family.It is endemic to Zambia.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist shrubland.-Source:...
(Pogoniulus makawai). However the latter has not been actually spotted since 1964 and may in fact be a variant of the common and widespread Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird
Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird
The Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird is a bird species in the family Lybiidae. It used to be placed in the family Bucconidae which has been split up; alternatively, it may be included in a vastly expanded Ramphastidae....
(Pogoniulus bilineatus).
The forests are particularly rich in birdlife with nearly 400 species found here including: the Guttera edouardi kathleenae subspecies of the Crested Guineafowl
Crested Guineafowl
The Crested Guineafowl is a member of the Numididae, the guineafowl bird family. It is found in open forest, woodland and forest-savanna mosaics in sub-Saharan Africa. It has a total length of approximately 50 cm and weighs . The plumage is overall blackish with dense white spots...
, Olive Long-tailed Cuckoo
Olive Long-tailed Cuckoo
The Olive Long-tailed Cuckoo is a species of cuckoo in the Cuculidae family.It is found in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Uganda, and...
(Cercococcyx olivinus), Ross's Turaco
Ross's Turaco
Ross's Turaco or Lady Ross's Turaco is a mainly bluish-purple African bird of the turaco family, Musophagidae.It is found in woodland, open forest and riparian habitats in Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan,...
(Musophaga rossae), Cabanis's Greenbul
Cabanis's Greenbul
The Cabanis's Greenbul is a species of songbird in the Pycnonotidae family. It is found in Angola, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia...
(Phyllastrephus cabanisi), Purple-throated Cuckoo-shrike
Purple-throated Cuckoo-shrike
The Purple-throated Cuckooshrike is a species of bird in the Campephagidae family.It is found in Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Sierra...
(Campephaga quiscalina), Boulton's Batis
Boulton's Batis
Margaret's Batis or Boulton's Batis is a species of bird in the Platysteiridae family. It is found in Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Zambia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests.-References:...
(Batis margaritae), African Crested-flycatcher
African Crested-flycatcher
The African Crested-flycatcher is a species of bird in the Monarchidae family.It is found in Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry...
(Trochocercus cyanomelas), Square-tailed Drongo
Square-tailed Drongo
The Square-tailed Drongo, Dicrurus ludwigii, is a drongo. The drongos are small passerine birds of the Old World tropics. They were previously classed as the family Dicruridae, but that has been much enlarged to include a number of largely Australasian groups, such as the Australasian fantails,...
(Dicrurus ludwigii), Black-fronted Bushshrike
Black-fronted Bushshrike
The Black-fronted Bushshrike is a passerine bird of the bushshrike family, Malaconotidae. It inhabits forests in Southern and Eastern Africa. It forms a superspecies with the Many-coloured Bushshrike and the two are sometimes considered to be a single species.-Description:It is 18-19 centimetres...
(Telophorus nigrifrons), Perrin's Bushshrike
Perrin's Bushshrike
The Gorgeous Bushshrike , also known as Perrin's Bushshrike, is a species of bird in the Malaconotidae family. It is found in Angola, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, and Zambia...
(T. viridis), Olive Sunbird
Olive Sunbird
The Olive Sunbird is a species of sunbird found in a large part of Africa south of the Sahel. It prefers forested regions, and is absent from drier, more open regions such as the Horn of Africa and most of south-central and south-western Africa...
(Nectarinia olivacea), Forest Weaver
Forest Weaver
The Dark-backed Weaver is a species of bird in the Ploceidae family.It is found in Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda,...
(Ploceus bicolor) and Black-tailed Waxbill
Black-tailed Waxbill
The Black-tailed Waxbill Estrilda perreini is a common species of estrildid finch found in wetter land of Southern Africa. It has an estimated global extent of occurrence of 670,000 km².-Habitat:...
(Estrilda perreini).
There are many species of reptiles and amphibians typical of tropical and southern Africa although none are endemic to the region.
Threats and preservation
These dry forests stand on infertile sandy soil with little surface water and are therefore uninhabitable and fairly undisturbed, apart from poaching of wildlife.More research is needed into the flora and fauna of the area. There is one protected area, the remote West Lunga National Park
West Lunga National Park
West Lunga National Park is a remote wildlife haven in dense forest in the North-Western Province of Zambia. It lies between the West Lunga River and Kabompo River about 10 km north of the gravel road from Solwezi to Kabompo, and covers about 1700 km²....
in Zambia.