Habitat selection and density of couas in Madagascar: implication for their conservation.

The forests in Madagascar are threatened by logging and burning. Because of their importance for biodiversity conservation, monitoring their animal populations is also important. We worked at two stations in the western dry forest where we studied three species of terrestrial couas in several forest plots, which differed in their degradation state. Some were burnt; others were logged. By measuring vegetation characteristics and bird densities, it was possible to indicate which characteristics were important for these birds and which conservation measures would be necessary to apply for this forest.