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- Title
Checklist of the birds of Finca Nolla, a recently protected area in northern Puerto Rico.
- Authors
Tossas, Adrianne G.; Rullán, Osvaldo; Mayer, Robert J.; González, Jean P.
- Abstract
We present the first bird inventory conducted in Finca Nolla, a 42.8 ha wetland in northwestern Puerto Rico that was severely disturbed by agricultural and industrial activities throughout the 20th century. This wetland is mostly covered by mangrove forest and other habitat types (e.g., coastal forest, grassland, seashore), and sustains a diverse ecosystem, despite being isolated from other natural areas by urban development. Restoration activities have tried to improve the habitat's quality since the site was designated a protected area in 2011, particularly by stabilizing sand dunes and removing the exotic Australian pine (Casuarina equisetifolia). We found 73 bird species belonging to 32 families in Finca Nolla during 14 monthly surveys conducted from March 2014 to April 2015. Of these species, 61 were breeding residents of Puerto Rico. More than half of the 73 species found (n = 39) were terrestrial, including 8 of the island's endemic species. Terrestrial birds were primarily found in the site's limited coastal forest habitat, which covers only 8% of the total study area. Aquatic species (n = 34) were mostly represented by terns, shorebirds, and heron species found in the mangrove swamp and seashore habitat. Among the latter group was the Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus), which is classified as Near Threatened by the IUCN and for which we are reporting a new wintering site record. We intend this inventory to be used as a baseline for future avian assessments and to support a proposed upgrade of the conservation status of Finca Nolla from protected area to nature reserve.
- Subjects
PUERTO Rico; INTERNATIONAL Union for Conservation of Nature &; Natural Resources; PROTECTED areas; CICONIIFORMES; MANGROVE swamps; FOREST birds; CASUARINA; COASTAL ecosystem health; MANGROVE forests; PIPING plover
- Publication
Journal of Caribbean Ornithology, 2020, Vol 33, p58
- ISSN
1544-4953
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.55431/jco.2020.33.58-66