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Broadbill Forest Camp, in Bwindi impenetrable national park, Ruhija was named after
the African Green broadbill so that it can be conserved and because it is a vulnerable
bird. The African green Broadbill is a rare and beautiful bird which was first discovered in
1908 and then not seen again for the next twenty years. It is a small, plump bird, with
bright grass-green plumage, and a pale blue tinge to the throat, breast, base of the
short tail and the feathers covering the ears. The forehead is buff, finely streaked with
black, and a narrow black stripe runs through the eyes. The wide, flattened and slightly
hooked bill is black, as are its claws.

The African green broadbill appears to have a widely varied diet, consisting of
invertebrates such as small beetles, snails and insect larvae and vegetable
including small seeds, flowers, flower buds and fruits. It searches for food singly or
in small flocks of up to ten birds. It will sit motionless on a perch, and then make
quick short dashes back and forth after its insect prey, flying with vigorous
regular wing beats, but achieving no great speed. The African green broadbill
has also been seen climbing, like a woodpecker, up vertical branches and on
the underside of horizontal limbs searching for invertebrate prey
The nest of the African green broadbill is a ball woven from twigs, leaves and
rootlets, 20 to 25 centimeters wide, with a side entrance. Layers of green lichen
adorn the outside, and it is hung from a near inaccessible tree branch. Adult
African green broadbills have been found in breeding condition in July and
August, a fledged young was seen being fed by an adult in March, and a nest
of chicks was found in April
The African green broadbill is known from only three locations, that is the Itombwe
Mountains and Mount Kahuzi in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (D.R.C.),
and the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in western Uganda where Broadbill Forest camp is
located
The African green broadbill inhabits montane primary forests primary, and prefers the
forest edge, near clearings or open fields, between 1,760 and 2,480 meters. There
appears to be some differences between the D.R.C. and Uganda populations. In the
D.R.C it favors the upper branches of tall trees, while in Uganda it is more frequently
found in the forest understorey
The African green broadbill is classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List. This is
because it inhabits a volatile area, much of which is threatened by deforestation and
habitat degradation. Forests in the Itombwe Mountains and surrounding Mount Kahuzi
are under increasing pressure from rapidly rising human populations. An influx of
Rwandan refugees in 1994 and rebel soldiers from 1997 resulted in widespread forest
clearance for agriculture and hunting. The year 2000 also saw a rush for the valuable
industrial mineral coltan, which attracted more than 10,000 miners to the Kahuz-Biéga
National Park in which Mount Kahuzi lies, and led to drastic deforestation and poaching

The African green broadbill occurs in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park which,
unlike the Kahuz-Biéga National Park, is well protected. The third location, in
which the broadbill is found, the Itombwe Mountains, is not protected and faces
many threats. Surveys are required to determine the distribution and status of
the African green broadbill, but at present, the situation is too dangerous in the
region to conduct any research.

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Broadbill forest camp

  • 1. Broadbill Forest Camp, in Bwindi impenetrable national park, Ruhija was named after the African Green broadbill so that it can be conserved and because it is a vulnerable bird. The African green Broadbill is a rare and beautiful bird which was first discovered in 1908 and then not seen again for the next twenty years. It is a small, plump bird, with bright grass-green plumage, and a pale blue tinge to the throat, breast, base of the short tail and the feathers covering the ears. The forehead is buff, finely streaked with black, and a narrow black stripe runs through the eyes. The wide, flattened and slightly hooked bill is black, as are its claws. The African green broadbill appears to have a widely varied diet, consisting of invertebrates such as small beetles, snails and insect larvae and vegetable including small seeds, flowers, flower buds and fruits. It searches for food singly or in small flocks of up to ten birds. It will sit motionless on a perch, and then make quick short dashes back and forth after its insect prey, flying with vigorous regular wing beats, but achieving no great speed. The African green broadbill has also been seen climbing, like a woodpecker, up vertical branches and on the underside of horizontal limbs searching for invertebrate prey The nest of the African green broadbill is a ball woven from twigs, leaves and rootlets, 20 to 25 centimeters wide, with a side entrance. Layers of green lichen adorn the outside, and it is hung from a near inaccessible tree branch. Adult African green broadbills have been found in breeding condition in July and August, a fledged young was seen being fed by an adult in March, and a nest of chicks was found in April The African green broadbill is known from only three locations, that is the Itombwe Mountains and Mount Kahuzi in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (D.R.C.), and the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in western Uganda where Broadbill Forest camp is located The African green broadbill inhabits montane primary forests primary, and prefers the forest edge, near clearings or open fields, between 1,760 and 2,480 meters. There appears to be some differences between the D.R.C. and Uganda populations. In the D.R.C it favors the upper branches of tall trees, while in Uganda it is more frequently found in the forest understorey The African green broadbill is classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List. This is because it inhabits a volatile area, much of which is threatened by deforestation and habitat degradation. Forests in the Itombwe Mountains and surrounding Mount Kahuzi are under increasing pressure from rapidly rising human populations. An influx of Rwandan refugees in 1994 and rebel soldiers from 1997 resulted in widespread forest clearance for agriculture and hunting. The year 2000 also saw a rush for the valuable
  • 2. industrial mineral coltan, which attracted more than 10,000 miners to the Kahuz-Biéga National Park in which Mount Kahuzi lies, and led to drastic deforestation and poaching The African green broadbill occurs in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park which, unlike the Kahuz-Biéga National Park, is well protected. The third location, in which the broadbill is found, the Itombwe Mountains, is not protected and faces many threats. Surveys are required to determine the distribution and status of the African green broadbill, but at present, the situation is too dangerous in the region to conduct any research.