Richness, abundance and diversity of birds in anthropized and non-anthropized ecosystems of the Nicaraguan dry corridor

Abstract

Forests are important for the maintenance of species diversity and global climate regulation. The tropical dry forest is one of the most diverse and most threatened forest ecosystems, especially by agricultural expansion. We compared the richness, abundance and diversity of bird communities in anthropized and non-anthropized habitats of the Nicaraguan dry corridor: three agro-ecosystems with water-harvesting crops, dry forest dominated by Quercus segoviensis Liebm and riparian forest. A total of 2,155 individuals distributed in 106 taxa and 34 families were observed. The Tyrannidae family was the most represented with 207 individuals and 16 taxa. The most abundant feeding guild in the three agro-ecosystems was insectivorous, and also in the oak forest, while in the riparian forest, it was frugivorous. The three agro-ecosystems had more similar bird taxa composition and bird food guild composition than the two less anthropized systems. Three species of high conservation priority were documented. The broad mosaic of anthropized systems has an additive effect on the bird community in the Nicaraguan dry corridor.