Densities and habitat preferences of Andean cloud-forest birds in pristine and degraded habitats in north-eastern Ecuador

Abstract

SummaryThe montane cloud-forests of the north-central Andes and the montane grassland and transitional elfin forest of the central Andean paramo contain a high diversity of bird species including several restricted range and uncommon species. Little is known of how densities of Andean cloud-forest species are affected by habitat degradation. Bird densities within pristine and degraded habitats at the Guandera Biological Reserve, Carchi province, Ecuador were recorded over a 10-week period. Densities were calculated for 48 species; where densities could be compared, 69% of species occurred at a higher density in pristine habitats. Pristine forest had the highest species richness with 72 species and paramo contained 44 species. In total, 26% of pristine forest species were only found in pristine forest, 39% of paramo species only in paramo, 13% of farmland species only in farmland and there were no exclusively secondary scrub species; 47% of species found in pristine forest, and 50% found in paramo were found in both secondary scrub and farmland. Restricted range species recorded at Guandera included the Carujiculated Caracara Phalcobenus carunculatus, Black-thighed Puffleg Eriocnemis derbyi, Chestnut-bellied Cotinga Doliornis remseni, Crescent-faced Antpitta Grallaricula lineifrons, Masked Mountain-tanager Buthraupis wetmorei and Black-backed Bush-tanager Urothraupis stolzmanni. Three further species that occurred at Guandera of relatively local occurrence were the Grey-breasted Mountain Toucan Andigena hypoglauca, Golden-breasted Puffleg Eriocnemis mosquera and Mountain Avocetbill Opisthoprora euryptera. Of these nine species at least five used degraded habitats, while three occurred only in pristine treeline habitats.

The Slender-billed CurlewNumenius tenuirostris: Threats and Conservation

“…Sites 1-22 are those identified by Danileko et al (1996), sites 23-33 are those visited by Cresswell et al (1999). Sites 8-13 and 15 were visited by G. C. Boere and A. K. Yurlov in 1997 …”

“…comm in F. V. Morozov 1996). Four unsuccessful expeditions have been carried out in the breeding grounds: 1) in 1997 G. C. Boere and K. A. Yurlov searched the Baraba and Karasuk steppe in Russia (Boere & Yurlov 1998); 2) an expedition by the Glasgow University was made in northern and eastern Kazakhstan in July-September 1998 (Cresswell et al 1999); 3) an expedition lead by G. Boyko visited the Tuman' plains and the Omsk region (Nowak & Vangeluwe 1999); 4) in 1999 A. K. Yurlov (in litt.) visited the eastern side of Lake Ubinskoe which was visited shortly during the 1997 expedition.…”

“…These changes are apparently affecting also other species such as the Sociable Plover Chettusia gregaria (Cresswell et al 1999).…”

Gradient (elevation) vs. disturbance (agriculture) effects on primary Cloud forest in Ecuador: seed predation, seed pathogens, germination

“…The current study site was the Guandera biological station (GBS:www.jatunsacha.org/guandera-reserve-andbiological-station; Cresswell et al 1999;Bader et al 2007;Nierop et al 2007) situated on the inner flank of the eastern Cordillera at approximately 11 km from the town of San Gabriel in northern Ecuador (0°36′ N, 77°4 2′ W). The area is of volcanic origin and has deep dark humic Andosols developed in old volcanic ashes.…”

Aspects of the ecology of Penelope superciliaris temminck, 1815 (Aves: Cracidae) in the Araripe National Forest, Ceará, Brazil

“…In the Andes of southern Ecuador, estimates of the population density of the Bearded Guan (Penelope barbata) in three different types of habitat within a study area of 400 ha varied from 2.3 to 17.1 individuals/km 2 (Jacobs and Walker, 1999). In a study of the Andean Guan (Penelope montagnii) in the Guadera Biological Reserve in Ecuador, Cresswell et al (1999) The population density estimated for P. superciliaris in the present study was consistent with the values recorded in most of these other studies of cracids. Variations in population parameters may be related to the fragmentation of habitat, resource availability, seasonal migrations, and possibly also minor differences in study methods (Bernardo and Desbiez, 2011).…”