Avian community structure and habitat use of forests along an elevation gradient.

BACKGROUND

As one of the highest forest ecosystems in the world, forests are recognized both as center of endemism and diversity along the Andes and as an ecosystem under serious threat from habitat loss, fragmentation, and climate change due to human activities. Effective conservation efforts are limited, in part, by our poor understanding of the ecology and habitat needs of the ecosystem's flora and fauna.

METHODS

In 2014-2015, we studied bird communities and 19 associated local and landscape attributes within five forested glacial valleys within the Cordillera Blanca and Huascaran National Park, Peru. We surveyed birds during the dry (May-August) and wet (January-April) seasons at 130 points distributed along an elevational gradient (3,300-4,700 m) and analyzed our data using Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA).

RESULTS

We associated a total of 50 species of birds, including 13 species of high conservation concern, with four basic habitat types: (1) forests at low elevations, (2) forests at high elevations, (3) Puna grassland and (4) shrublands. Four species of conservation priority () were strongly associated with large forest patches (∼10-ha) of at lower elevations (<3,800 m), whereas another four () were associated with less disturbed forests of at higher elevations (>4,200 m).

DISCUSSION

Results suggest two key strategies form the cornerstones of conservation efforts: (a) protect large remnant (>10-ha) forests at lower elevations and (b) maintain all relicts of , irrespective of size, at high elevations (>4,200 m).