Altitudinal patterns and seasonal stability in the avifauna of Cerro Chucantí, Panama
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.30550/j.azl/2382Keywords:
Bird diversity, conservation status, mist nets, montane forest, point counts, species turnoverAbstract
Darién combines humid lowland and montane forests with high endemism, but these ecosystems are increasingly threatened by deforestation, agriculture, cattle ranching, and logging. Because the birdlife of Cerro Chucantí remains poorly known, we assessed avian diversity across three elevational bands (500, 800, and 1200 m.a.s.l.) in the Cerro Chucantí Private Nature Reserve, Panama, during the dry and rainy seasons of 2021, using mist nets, point counts, and incidental records. Over 36 sampling days, we recorded 2602 individuals representing 248 species. Passeriformes dominated both abundance and richness, whereas Trochilidae was the most abundant family and Tyrannidae the richest. Species composition differed significantly between the highest and lowest elevations, suggesting greater turnover and specialization at upper sites, while no significant seasonal differences were detected. These results provide a baseline for the avifauna of this isolated montane system and highlight the urgency of conserving Cerro Chucantí’s cloud forests through expanded sampling and long-term monitoring.
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