Vol. 27 No. 2 (2012)

Temporal variability in the abundance and diversity of birds in the Mataquito River wetland, Región del Maule, Chile

Abstract

Coastal wetlands support high biological diversity. However, in Chile there is a lack of information in terms of the structure and dynamics of bird assemblages in this kind of ecosystems. To investigate the importance of the Mataquito River wetland for waterbirds, we conducted seasonal censuses between 2006 and 2010. We evaluated waterbird diversity, characterized the temporal pattern of the assemblage and used an Indicator Species Analysis (IndVal) to identify those bird species that characterize the temporal pattern of the assemblage structure. We recorded 54 bird species belonging to 18 families, which represent 41% of the Chilean waterbird species. The 81% of the species were resident, 17% were visitant, and 2% were sporadic. Larus pipixcan, Rynchops niger, Pelecanus occidentalis, Thalasseus elegans, Larus modestus and Haematopus palliatus were the most abundant species. The assemblage structure did not show a clear temporal pattern. Indicator Species Analysis showed that Rynchops niger, Egretta alba, Egretta thula, Anas georgica and Thalasseus elegans characterized the summer-autumn period. Due to its high species richness, this wetland has an important role for migrant and resident waterbird species.

References

How to cite

Angélica L. González , María A. Vukasovic, Verónica López, Cristián Estades (2012). Temporal variability in the abundance and diversity of birds in the Mataquito River wetland, Región del Maule, Chile. El Hornero, Vol. 27 No. 2 (2012), 167-176. https://doi.org/10.56178/eh.v27i2.655

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