Global scale high-resolution habitat suitability modeling of avifauna providing pollination service (sunbirds, Nectariniidae)

Avian species provide important ecosystem services such as nutrient cycling, seed dispersal, meat provision, pest control, scavenging, and pollination. Currently, the populations of avian pollinators are declining due to climate change and human impact, and it is crucial to identify species-rich areas for their conservation. Sunbirds (Nectariniidae) are important vertebrate pollinators with a wide distribution that include Africa, Asia and Australasia. Here, we assembled distribution records of sunbird species and applied a maximum entropy approach to model sunbird habitat suitability in the world. We also quantified sunbirds composition similarity among the terrestrial biomes. We found that sunbird habitat suitability reached a peak in Southeast Asia, and in western and central parts of the African continent. Sunbird richness was highest in the Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests biome. Solar Radiation Index (SRI), precipitation of the warmest quarter, and human footprint index were the most important predictors of sunbirds global habitat suitability. Geographic regions identified to have the highest suitability and richness for sunbirds have high priority for conservation of this unique group of avian pollinators and the ecological services they provide.