Community structure and spatial distribution of understory birds in three bamboo-dominated forests in southwestern Amazonia

• DOI: 10.1007/s42974-021-00053-8
• Publication Date: 2021-07-29T16:10:09Z
• Authors: Diego Pedroza; Edson Guilherme
• Keywords: 0106 biological sciences; QH540 Ecology / ökológia; 15. Life on land; 01 natural sciences

The ongoing deforestation in southwestern Brazilian Amazonia is transforming the region’s landscape into a mosaic of forest fragments. The bamboo forests are threatened by the fragmentation and replacement of natural habitats due to anthropogenic activities. The bird fauna found in forest fragments and habitats dominated by bamboo is under the constant threat of local extinction due to the increasing isolation of populations. In the present study, we compared the structure of the understory bird communities (a) between an urban fragment and two rural fragments, and (b) between adjacent bamboo and non-bamboo habitats. We captured the birds in mist-nets, banded each individual, and georeferenced the capture sites. The results of the study indicate that the structure of the understory bird community varies both among the fragments and between bamboo and non-bamboo habitats. Most birds species are found in both types of habitats, although the structure of the bird community differs between habitats, due to the presence of specialist species to bamboo habitats. The structure of the bird community in each forest fragment is unique, and this must be taken into account in the formulation of strategies for the conservation and management of the region’s biodiversity.