Assessment of avian roadkill in an important endemic area in western Ecuador
Abstract
Western Ecuador is a heterogeneous region with diverse economic activities that require road infrastructure. However, these roads impact bird populations in this biogeographically significant and threatened area. Our main objective was to assess bird mortality on roads connecting several population centers in the provinces of Guayas and Santa Elena. Fieldwork was conducted between July 2021 and June 2022, consisting of 43 surveys along roadways to identify and georeference bird carcasses. We estimated roadkill rates and identified high-incidence areas using heat maps. During this study, we recorded 329 road-killed birds belonging to 43 species, with the most common being Crotophaga sulcirostris, Tyto alba, and Asio clamator. We identified 13 high-incidence roadkill hotspots, where we recommend implementing mitigation measures, with ongoing monitoring, educational programs, and environmental awareness initiatives for local communities and road users. Roadways represent an anthropogenic barrier for birds, negatively affecting their movement and dispersal. Therefore, it is essential to evaluate their medium and long-term impacts on the Ecuadorian coastal region.
References
- Aguilar JM, Nieto A, Espinoza N, Loja G, Tinoco BA (2019) Assessing patterns of bird roadkills in a high Andean Ecuadorian national park. Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment 54(3):149-156. https://doi.org/10.1080/01650521.2019.1649953
- Albuja L, Armendáriz A, Barriga R, Montalvo LD, Cáceres F, Román JL (2012) Fauna de Vertebrados del Ecuador. Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas. Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Quito, Ecuador
- Álvarez-Litben SG (2017) Territorio comunal en la costa de Ecuador: Buscando caminos de entendimiento entre el buen vivir y el principio de bien común. Revista de Antropología Social 26(2):355-378. https://doi.org/10.5209/RASO.57610
- Antworth R, Pike DA, Stevens E (2005) Hit and run: Effects of scavenging on estimates of roadkilled vertebrates. Southeastern Naturalist 4(4):647-656
- Arnold EM, Hanser SE, Kociolek A, Regan T, Thompson J, Lowe M, Belthoff JR (2018) Spatial, road geometric and biotic factors associated with Barn Owl mortality along an interstate highway. IBIS 161(1):147-161. https://doi.org/10.1111/ibi.12593
- Arroyave MP, Gómez C, Gutiérrez ME, Múnera DP, Zapata PA, Vergara IC, Andrade LM, Ramos KC (2006) Impactos de las carreteras sobre la fauna silvestre y sus principales medidas de manejo. Revista EIA 5:45-57
- Astudillo PX, Samaniego GM, Machado PJ, Aguilar JM, Tinoco BA, Graham CH, Latta SC, Farwig N (2014) The impact of roads on the avifauna of páramo grasslands in Cajas National Park, Ecuador. Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment 49(3):204-212. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01650521.2014.960778
- Attademo AM, Peltzer PM, Lajmanovich RC, Elberg G, Junges C, Sánchez LC, Bassó A (2011) Wildlife vertebrate mortality in roads from Santa Fe Province, Argentina. Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad 82(3):915-925. https://doi.org/10.22201/ib.20078706e.2011.3.783
- Bauni V, Anfuso J, Schivo F (2017) Mortalidad de fauna silvestre por atropellamientos en el bosque atlántico del Alto Paraná, Argentina. Ecosistemas 26(3):54-66. https://doi.org/10.7818/ECOS.2017.26-3.08
- Benítez-López A, Alkemade R, Verweij PA (2010) The impacts of roads and other infrastructure on mammal and bird populations: A meta-analysis. Biological Conservation 143(6):1307-1316. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.BIOCON.2010.02.009
- Bergamini E, Prandelli S, Minelli F, Gatti RC (2024) Impacts of noise pollution from high-speed rail and road on bird diversity: A case study in a protected area of Italy. Environmental Science and Pollution Research 31(22):32033-32042. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-33372-0
- Bernat-Ponce E, Gil-Delgado JA, López-Iborra GM (2022) Efectos de las características de las ciudades occidentales contemporáneas sobre la avifauna urbana. Ecosistemas 31(1):2158-2158. https://doi.org/10.7818/ECOS.2158
- Bíl M, Grilo C, Kubeček J, Sedoník J, Andrášik R, Cícha V, Favilli F, Stauder J, Schwingshackl F, Michael K, Elia M, Zotos S, Sergides L, Arvaj T, Litskas V, Vogiatzakis I (2019) Wildlife Vehicle Collisions: Road ecology, monitoring and mitigation, citizen science, pedagogical and socioeconomic aspects. ERASMUS+
- BirdLife International (2024) Endemic Bird Area factsheet: Tumbesian region. https://datazone.birdlife.org/eba/factsheet/47 (acceso: 26/06/2024).
- Bishop CA, Brogan JM (2013) Estimates of avian mortality attributed to vehicle collisions in Canada. Avian Conservation and Ecology 8(2):2. https://doi.org/10.5751/ace-00604-080202
- Borda-de-Água L, Grilo C, Pereira HM (2014) Modeling the impact of road mortality on barn owl (Tyto alba) populations using age-structured models. Ecological Modelling 276:29-37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2013.12.022
- Bravo-Naranjo V, Piñones-Cañete C, Norambuena HV, Zuleta C (2019) Puntos calientes y factores asociados al atropello de aves rapaces en una ruta costera de la zona semiárida de Chile central. Ornitología Neotropical 30:208-216
- Bujoczek M, Ciach M, Yosef R (2011) Road-kills affect avian population quality. Biological Conservation 144(3):1036-1039. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2010.12.022
- Busby BT, Gordon MP, Belthoff J (2024) Roads reduce breeding occupancy and productivity in barn owls. The Journal of Wildlife Management 88(5):e22597. https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.22597
- Canales-Delgadillo J, Pérez-Ceballos R, Zaldívar-Jiménez A, Gómez-Ponce M, Vázquez-Pérez N, De La Rosa M, Potenciano-Morales L (2021) Muertes por tráfico sobre la carretera costera del golfo de México: ¿cuántas y cuáles especies de fauna silvestre se están perdiendo? Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad 91:e913189. https://doi.org/10.22201/ib.20078706e.2020.91.3189
- Castillo JC, Urmendez MD, Zambrano GG (2015) Mortalidad de fauna por atropello vehicular en un sector de la vía panamericana entre Popayán y Patía. Boletín Científico Centro de Museos Museo de Historia Natural 19(2):207-219. https://doi.org/10.17151/bccm.2015.19.2.12
- Cervantes-Huerta R, Escobar F, García-Chávez JH, González-Romero A (2017) Atropellamiento de vertebrados en tres tipos de carretera de la región montañosa central de Veracruz, México. Acta Zoológica Mexicana 33(3):472-481. https://doi.org/10.21829/azm.2017.3331148
- Clevenger AP, Chruszcz B, Gunson KE (2002) Spatial patterns and factors influencing small vertebrate fauna road-kill aggregations. Biological Conservation 109(1):15-26. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0006-3207(02)00127-1
- D’Amico M, Román J, de los Reyes L, Revilla E (2015) Vertebrate road-kill patterns in Mediterranean habitats: Who, when and where. Biological Conservation 191:234-242. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.BIOCON.2015.06.010
- Dean WRJ, Seymour CL, Joseph GS, Foord SH (2019) A review of the impacts of roads on wildlife in semi-arid regions. Diversity 11(5):81. https://doi.org/10.3390/d11050081
- Delgado-Trejo C, Herrera-Robledo R, Martínez-Hernández N, Bedolla-Ochoa C, Hart CE, Alvarado-Díaz J, Suazo-Ortuño I, Nava-Bravo H, López-Toledo L, Mendoza E (2018) Vehicular impact as a source of wildlife mortality in the Western Pacific Coast of Mexico. Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad 89(4):1234-1244. https://doi.org/10.22201/ib.20078706e.2018.4.2084
- Díaz JA, Escalante CI, Serment VA, Mares JM (2020) Manual de diseño de pasos para fauna silvestre en carreteras. 1° edición. Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes, México D.F.
- Espinoza F, Cruz C (2014) Aviturismo: Guía para la provincia del Guayas. Gobierno Autónomo Descentralizado Provincial del Guayas, Dirección de Turismo, Guayaquil, Ecuador
- Fahring L, Rytwinski T (2009) Effects of roads on animal abundance: An empirical review and synthesis. Ecology and Society 14(1):21
- Feinsinger P (2003) El diseño de estudios de campo para la conservación de la biodiversidad. Fundación Amigos de la Naturaleza (FAN), Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia
- Fernández-Buces N, Trinidad-Lora K, Olivé-Arrioja M, Resendiz-Rodríguez J, López-Noriega S, Juárez-Casillas LA (2022) Ecological connectivity and wildlife passages on roads: A reflection for México. Therya notes 3(2):87-92. https://doi.org/10.12933/therya_notes-22-76
- Filius J, Hoek Y, Jarrín-V P, Hooft P, van der Hoek Y (2020) Wildlife roadkill patterns in a fragmented landscape of the Western Amazon. Ecology and Evolution 10(13):6623-6635. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.6394
- Freile JF, Santander T, Jiménez-Uzcátegui G, Carrasco L, Cisneros-Heredia DF, Guevara EA, Sánchez-Nivicela M, Tinoco BA (2019) Lista Roja de las Aves del Ecuador. Ministerio del Ambiente de Ecuador, Aves y Conservación, Comité Ecuatoriano de Registros Ornitológicos, Fundación Charles Darwin, Universidad del Azuay y Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador
- Freile J, Restall R (2018) Birds of Ecuador. HELM Bloomsbury Publishing Plc., London
- Freile J, Santander T (2005) Áreas Importantes para la Conservación de las Aves en Ecuador. Aves & Conservación, Birdlife Internacional, Conservación Internacional y Ministerio del Ambiente de Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
- GAD Provincial Guayas (2021) Plan de Desarrollo y Ordenamiento Territorial Provincial del Guayas. Dirección Provincial de Planificación Institucional, Guayaquil, Ecuador
- Gaón J, Valdez G (2021) Mortalidad de la fauna silvestre por efecto vehicular en la carretera Calceta-Quiroga. Tesis de grado, Escuela Superior Politécnica Agropecuaria de Manabí, Calceta, Manabí
- García-Carrasco JM, Tapia W, Román-Muñoz A (2020) Roadkill of birds in Galapagos Islands: A growing need for solutions. Avian Conservation and Ecology 15(1):1-8. https://doi.org/10.5751/ACE-01596-150119
- García-Sánchez S, Juárez-Agis A, Álvarez-Álvarez EA, Oliver Salome B, Zeferino Torres J, Rivas González M, Osorio Rodríguez AN (2023) Vertebrados silvestres atropellados en asentamientos humanos del Pacífico sur mexicano. Revista de Biología Tropical 71(1):e53600. https://doi.org/10.15517/rev.biol.trop..v71i1.53600
- González M, Salas JA (2025) Evaluación preliminar del impacto de la carretera Troncal de la Costa E25 sobre vertebrados silvestres en el área de influencia de la Reserva Ecológica Manglares Churute (Occidente de Ecuador). Revista Peruana de Biología 32(1):e28454. https://doi.org/10.15381/rpb.v32i1.28454
- González-Calderón A (2017) Mortalidad de aves por colisión vehicular en la Reserva de Uso Múltiple Bañados del Río Dulce y Laguna Mar Chiquita, Córdoba, Argentina. El Hornero 32(2):197-203. https://doi.org/10.56178/eh.v32i2.506
- Grilo C, Reto D, Filipe J, Ascensão F, Revilla E (2014) Understanding the mechanisms behind road effects: Linking occurrence with road mortality in owls. Animal Conservation 17:555-564. https://doi.org/10.1111/acv.12120
- Grilo C, Sousa J, Ascensao F, Matos H, Leitao I, Pinheiro P, Costa M, Bernardo J, Reto D, Lourenco R, Santos-Reis M, Revilla E (2012) Individual spatial responses towards roads: Implications for mortality risk. PLoS ONE 7(9):e43811. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0043811
- Haase B (2011) Aves marinas de Ecuador continental y acuáticas de las piscinas artificiales de Ecuasal. Aves & Conservación, Birdlife Internacional en Ecuador, Ecuasal C. A., Guayaquil, Ecuador
- Hodson NL (1962) Some notes on the causes of birds’ road casualities. Bird Study 9:168-173
- Husby M (2016) Factors affecting road mortality in birds. Ornis Fennica 93(4):212-224
- Jaramillo-Fayad JC, Velázquez MM, Premauer JM, González JL, González-Vélez JC (2021) Atropellamiento de fauna silvestre en Colombia: Guía para entender y diagnosticar este impacto. Gobierno Nacional de Colombia, Institución Universitaria ITM, Bogotá, Colombia
- Lester D (2015) Effective Wildlife Roadkill Mitigation. Journal of Traffic and Transportation Engineering 3(1):42-51. https://doi.org/10.17265/2328-2142/2015.01.005
- Loss SR, Will T, Marra PP (2014) Estimation of bird-vehicle collision mortality on U.S. roads. The Journal of Wildlife Management 78(5):763-771. https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.721
- Mathiaparanam KJ, Mulder RA, Hale R (2024) Anthropogenic double jeopardy: Urban noise and artificial light at night interact synergistically to influence abundance. Environmental Pollution 363(1):125078. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2024.125078
- McMullan M, Navarrete L (2017) Fieldbook of the Birds of Ecuador including the Galápagos Islands and common mammals. Ratty Ediciones, Quito, Ecuador
- Medrano-Vizcaíno P, Brito-Zapata D, Rueda-Vera A, Jarrín-V P, García-Carrasco JM, Medina D, Aguilar J, Acosta-Buenaño N, González-Suárez M (2023) First national assessment of wildlife mortality in Ecuador: An effort from citizens and academia to collect roadkill data at country scale. Ecology and Evolution 13(3):e9916. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.9916
- Medrano-Vizcaíno P, Espinosa S (2021) Geography of roadkills within the Tropical Andes Biodiversity Hotspot: Poorly known vertebrates are part of the toll. Biotropica 53(3):820-830. https://doi.org/10.1111/btp.12938
- Medrano-Vizcaíno P, Grilo C, Silva Pinto FA, Carvalho WD, Melinski RD, Schultz ED, González-Suárez M (2022) Roadkill patterns in Latin American birds and mammals. Global Ecology and Biogeography 31(9):1756-1783. https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.13557
- Mella-Ávila J, Muñoz-Villouta C (2024) Efectos de atropellos vehiculares sobre la fauna de aves y mamíferos en Magallanes, en verano. Anales del Instituto de la Patagonia 52:1-13. http://dx.doi.org/10.22352/aip202452008
- Meyrom K, Yosef R, Charter M (2023) Are roadkills density-dependent? Case study of the Barn Owl (Tyto alba). Diversity 15(3): 412. https://doi.org/10.3390/d15030412
- Minitab 17 Statistical Software (2010) State College, PA: Minitab, Inc.
- Monge-Nájera J (2018) Road kills in tropical ecosystems: A review with recommendations for mitigation and for new research. Revista de Biología Tropical 66(2):722-738. https://doi.org/10.15517/rbt.v66i2.33404
- Monroy MC, De La Ossa-Lacayo A, De La Ossa J (2015) Tasa de atropellamiento de fauna silvestre en la vía San Onofre – María la baja, Caribe Colombiano. Revista de la Asociación Colombiana de Ciencias Biológicas 27:88-95. https://doi.org/10.47499/revistaaccb.v1i27.106
- Nemes CE, Cabrera-Cruz SA, Anderson MJ, DeGroote LW, DeSimone JG, Massa ML, Cohen EB (2023) More than mortality: Consequences of human activity on migrating birds extend beyond direct mortality. Ornithological Applications 125(3):1-21. https://doi.org/10.1093/ornithapp/duad020
- Niemi M, Jääskeläinen NC, Nummi P, Mäkelä T, Norrdahl K (2014) Dry paths effectively reduce road mortality of small and medium-sized terrestrial vertebrates. Journal of Environmental Management 144:51-57. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JENVMAN.2014.05.012
- Obando-Tobón JM, Delgado CA, Urrego-Giraldo LE, Saravia-Ruiz P, Tapias J, Arias-Alzate A (2024) Influencia del comportamiento y hábitat en el atropellamiento de fauna silvestre: El caso de los vertebrados de vías periurbanas en los Andes colombianos. Revista de Biología Tropical 72(1):e56433. https://doi.org/10.15517/rev.biol.trop..v72i1.56433
- Pinto FAS, Clevenger AP, Grilo C (2020) Effects of roads on terrestrial vertebrate species in Latin America. Environmental Impact Assessment Review 81:106337. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eiar.2019.106337
- Ponce L (2013) Mortalidad de fauna silvestre por atropellamiento en la ruta E15 que atraviesa área protegida Refugio de Vida Silvestre y Marino Costera Pacoche. Ministerio de Ambiente de Ecuador, Manta, Ecuador
- Pozo-Alvarado ES (2022) Evaluación multitemporal de la cubierta forestal en la parroquia Colonche, provincia de Santa Elena. Tesis de grado, Universidad Estatal Península de Santa Elena, La Libertad, Ecuador
- Pozo-Cajas M, Quinteros-Trelles A, Pino-Acosta A, Piedrahita P (2017) Un paraíso a grandes alturas: Aves del Bosque Protector La Prosperina y alrededores. Unidad de Vinculación con la Sociedad, Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral, Guayaquil, Ecuador
- Raymond S, Schwartz ALW, Thomas RJ, Chadwick E, Perkins SE (2021) Temporal patterns of wildlife roadkill in the UK. PLoS ONE 16(10):e0258083. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0258083
- Ree R, Smith DJ, Grilo C (2015) Handbook of Road Ecology. 1° edition. Wiley Blackwell, Oxford, UK
- Remsen JV Jr, Areta JI, Bonaccorso E, Claramunt S, Lane DF, Robbins MB, Stiles FG, Zimmer KJ (2025) A classification of the bird species of South America. Museum of Natural Science, Louisiana State University. http://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm
- Ridgely R, Greenfield P (2006) Aves del Ecuador. Guía de Campo. Volumen I y II. Fundación de Conservación Jocotoco. Academia de Ciencias Naturales de Filadelfia, Quito, Ecuador
- Santos SM, Carvalho F, Mira A (2011) How long do the dead survive on the road? Carcass persistence probability and implications for road-kill monitoring surveys. PLoS ONE 6(9): e25383. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0025383
- Santos SM, Lourenço R, Mira A, Beja P (2013) Relative effects of road risk, habitat suitability, and connectivity on wildlife roadkills: The case of Tawny Owls (Strix aluco). PLoS ONE 8(11):e79967. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0079967
- Seijas AE, Aráujo Quintero A, Velásquez N (2013) Mortalidad de vertebrados en la carretera Guanare-Guanarito, estado Portuguesa, Venezuela. Revista de Biología Tropical 61(4):1619-1636. https://doi.org/10.15517/rbt.v61i4.12803
- Sheets DR (2005) Catálogo diagnóstico de las aves del Bosque Protector Cerro Blanco y sus cercanías. Fundación ProBosque, Darwin Initiative, Guayaquil, Ecuador
- Sheets DR, Mischler TC (2007) Catálogo diagnóstico de las aves del Bosque Protector Cerro Blanco y sus cercanías (provincia del Guayas, Ecuador). 2° edición. Birdlife International, Fundación ProBosque y Universidad Católica Santiago de Guayaquil, Guayaquil, Ecuador
- Silva C, Simões MP, Mira A, Santos SM (2019) Factors influencing predator roadkills: The availability of prey in road verges. Journal of Environmental Management 247:644-650. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.06.083
- Snow NP, Andelt WF, Gould NP (2011) Characteristics of road-kill locations of San Clemente island foxes. Wildlife Society Bulletin 35(1):32-39. https://doi.org/10.1002/wsb.4
- Spellerberg I (1998) Ecological effects of roads and traffic: A literature review. Global Ecology and Biogeography 7(5):317-333. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1466-822x.1998.00308.x
- Sullivan BL, Wood CL, Iliff MJ, Bonney RE, Fink D, Kelling S (2009) eBird: A citizen-based bird observation network in the biological sciences. Biological Conservation 142(10):2282-2292. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.BIOCON.2009.05.006
- Swinnen KRR, Jacobs A, Claus K, Ruyts S, Vercayie D, Lambrechts J, Herremans M (2022) ‘Animals under wheels’: Wildlife roadkill data collection by citizen scientists as a part of their nature recording activities. Nature Conservation 47:121-153. https://doi.org/10.3897/natureconservation.47.72970
- Teixeira FZ, Coelho AVP, Esperandio IB, Kindel A (2013) Vertebrate road mortality estimates: Effects of sampling methods and carcass removal. Biological Conservation 157:317-323. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.BIOCON.2012.09.006
- Urmendez-Medina D, Castillo-Ramos JC, Zambrano-González G (2017) Mortalidad de vertebrados silvestres por atropello vehicular en 13 kilómetros de la vía Panamericana en el municipio del Patía. Revista Novedades Colombianas 12(1):57-64
- Velasteguí-Montoya A, Guerrero-Cabrera G, González-Camba S, Jaramillo-Lindao Y, Murillo-Portillo R, Hidalgo-Crespo J, Encalada-Abarca L (2023) Acoustic contamination assessment during the transition between the COVID-19 restrictions and reactivation: A exploratory analysis in Guayaquil. Geography and Sustainability 4(2):138-149. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geosus.2023.02.001
- Visintin C, Golding N, van der Ree R, McCarthy MA (2018) Managing the timing and speed of vehicles reduces wildlife-transport collision risk. Transport and Environment 59:86-95. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.TRD.2017.12.003
- Wilson AA, Ditmer MA, Barber JR, Carter NH, Miller ET, Tyrrell LP, Francis CD (2021) Artificial night light and anthropogenic noise interact to influence bird abundance over a continental scale. Global Change Biology 27(17):3987-4004. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15663
- Yesquen-Sernaque F, Ugaz-Cherre AF, Chávez-Villavicencio CL (2020) Mortandad de vertebrados por atropellos en carreteras en Tambogrande, Piura, Perú. Revista Peruana de Biología 27(2):131-138. https://doi.org/10.15381/rpb.v27i2.16827
- Zanettini Tres G, Domínguez Pacheco T, Cardozo Silva VG, Carniel Wagner PG, Nisa-Castro-Neto W, Farias Cruz CE (2024) The impact of RS–040 highway on wildlife roadkill patterns, Porto Alegre, Southern Brazil. Ethnobiology and Conservation 13(1):1-16. https://doi.org/10.15451/ec2024-01-13.01-1-16
- Zavala J (2020) Mortalidad de fauna silvestre en la carretera 483 tramo Jipijapa-Puerto Cayo. Tesis de grado, Universidad Estatal del Sur de Manabí, Jipijapa, Ecuador
How to cite
Downloads
License: CC BY-NC 4.0