Avifaunal characterization of Corral de Piedra Palustrine Wetland, Nicoya, Costa Rica

Wetlands maintain high biodiversity and provide impor-tant habitat for many bird species, but now have strong pressure from anthropogenic activities. Birds in wetlands are important indicators of environmental changes and our goal was to characterize the bird com-munity in the wetlands Palustr...

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Autores Principales: Vargas-Masís, Roberto, Piedra Castro, Lilliana María, Bravo Chacón, Juan
Formato: Artículo
Idioma: Inglés
Publicado: Universidad Estatal a Distancia 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea: http://hdl.handle.net/11056/21761
Sumario: Wetlands maintain high biodiversity and provide impor-tant habitat for many bird species, but now have strong pressure from anthropogenic activities. Birds in wetlands are important indicators of environmental changes and our goal was to characterize the bird com-munity in the wetlands Palustrine Corral de Piedra as a mechanism for conservation of tropical dry forest of Costa Rica. We used point counts to describe bird richness and abundance in open (lakes and flooded grasslands) and wooded areas. We described habitat use and micro-habitats, trophic guilds, biogeographic distribution and status in Costa Rica. We recorded 83 species of resident birds belonging to 36 families, of which 65 are resident species and 18 have some migratory status in Costa Rica. Secondary consumer species of small vertebrates corre-sponded to 45,8% and primary consumers were 25,3%. The birds main-ly used trees for perching but use emergent shrubs, floating vegetation and water. We found a large number of Egrets, Flycatchers and Hawks playing important roles as pollinators, seed dispersers and predator is adding significant value to the ecological dynamics of forests and lakes in the area. Corral de Piedra has special importance as a site for the establishment of migratory birds and large number of resident species of conservation concern. We consider that joint efforts between resi-dents and researchers are an important tool for bird conservation in the region.