Corrections to the published elevational limits of 17 species from Bacan, North Maluku

Abstract

Wallacea is among the most under-studied regions of the tropics, with even basic biological data lacking from most bird species. Even by these standards, North Maluku has been historically neglected. A three-day visit to Buku Sibela on Bacan, North Maluku, in October 2022 yielded elevation extensions for 16 species, of which 11 are endemic to the North Moluccan subregion. In many instances, species are now known to occur at much higher elevations on Bacan than previously assumed, potentially reducing their extinction risk throughout the North Moluccas, where forest loss in the lowlands is substantially more rapid. Other visitors to, and researchers in, Indonesia are encouraged to record and publish altitudinal information where it is otherwise unavailable—these data are a critical component for mapping species’ ranges, monitoring habitat losses, and documenting possible temporal changes in elevation in response to climate change.