Abstract

GARCIA, Germán O.  and  GOMEZ LAICH, Agustina. Abundance and species richness of a seabird and shorebird assemblage of the Southeastern Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. Hornero [online]. 2007, vol.22, n.1, pp.9-16. ISSN 0073-3407.

We studied the abundance and specific composition of an assemblage of seabirds and shorebirds in the Bahía de los Vientos intertidal area (near Necochea, Buenos Aires Province). Twice a month from July 2005 to June 2006, 10-min censuses were conducted at three survey stations located along the intertidal area. During each census we counted the total number of seabird and shorebird species that were present in an area of 0.125 km². A total of 7746 birds belonging to 17 species and 11 families were observed. Laridae dominated the assemblage, followed in order of importance by Haemotopodidae, Phalacrocoracidae and Chionidae. The Brown-hooded Gull (Larus maculipennis) and the Kelp Gull (Larus dominicanus) showed the highest frequency of occurrence and relative importance. We observed significant monthly differences in bird abundance, with the highest value recorded in March, and the lowest in October. The highest species richness was recorded in October. This study provides useful information about the composition of the coastal bird assemblages inhabiting the littoral area of Buenos Aires Province.

Keywords : Argentina; bird assemblage; Buenos Aires Province; seabirds; shorebirds.

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