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

Resumen

Summary The montane cloud-forests of the north-central Andes and the montane grassland and transitional elfin forest of the central Andean páramo 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 páramo contained 44 species. In total, 26% of pristine forest species were only found in pristine forest, 39% of páramo species only in páramo, 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 páramo were found in both secondary scrub and farmland. Restricted range species recorded at Guandera included the Carunculated 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.