EFFECTS OF FIRE ON BIRDS IN PARAMO HABITAT OF NORTHERN ECUADOR

Resumen

We studied the effects of fire on the species richness and abundance of birds in paramo habitat at the Cotacachi-Cayapas Ecological Reserve and Lake Mojanda region, Imbabura, Ecuador. We conducted monthly point counts over a 1-year period starting December 1996 in three areas that had been burned at different amounts of time prior to the start of the study: a) 2-months, b) 3-years, and c) 8-years. We identi- fied 40 species of birds and found the greatest number of species in the 3-year and 8-year-old burns. The Giant Hummingbird (Patagona gigas), Azara's Spinetail (Synallaxis azarae), and Red-crested Cotinga (Ampelion rubrocristatus) were found only on the 8-year burn area. Relative abundance increased with time after a burn for half of the species found in all three habitat types. Only one species, the Paramo Pipit (Anthus bogeten- sis), decreased in abundance with increasing time after a fire. The remaining species did not differ in abun- dance in any of the fire treatments. Although fire generally decreases species richness and abundance for paramo bird species, species richness on a regional scale may benefit from a mosaic habitat pattern that includes fire disturbance. Accepted 13 August 1999.