CHARACTERIZATION OF COASTAL WATERBIRD ASSEMBLAGES OF NORTHERN GOLFO SAN JORGE, PATAGONIA, ARGENTINA

GATTO, ALEJANDRO; CASTILLO, JOANNA; IBARRA, CYNTHIA; NAVOA, XIMENA; KRAPOVICKAS, SANTIAGO

Puerto Iguazu

Congreso; Ornithological Congress of the Americas; 2017

Aves Argentinas, Sociedade Brasileira de ornitologica y Association of Field Ornithologists

The northern sector of the Golfo San Jorge has an important diversity of waterbirds andis included within the Parque Interjurisdiccional Marino Costero Patagonia Austral(PIMCPA). Waterbird assemblages that utilized the intertidal areas at PIMCPA werecharacterized by means of direct counts during fall and spring seasons in three wetlandsrepresenting the environmental heterogeneity of the area: Bahía Melo (45°01'S,65°53'O), Punta Tafor (45º03?S, 66º 17?O) and Caleta Malaspina (45º10?S, 66º30?O). 253counts were achieved during three consecutive years (2013-2015). A total of 42508individuals corresponding to 36 species were registered. The species with higherfrequency of occurrence and abundance were White-rumped Sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis), Kelp Gull (Larus dominicanus), Crested Duck (Lophonetta specularioides),Magellanic Oystercatcher (Haematopus leucopodus), Two-banded Plover (Charadrius falklandicus) and Chubut Steamer Duck (Tachyeres leucocephalus). The assemblagescomposition varied between the studied seasons. During fall there was a higherabundance (29686 vs. 12822) and specific richness (33 vs. 29) than in spring. However,a higher specific diversity was registered during spring (1/D; 6.2 vs. 5.4). Waterbirdspecific richness at PIMCPA incremented southwards independently of the studiedseason. This study contributed with novel information about the spatial and temporalcharacterization of the waterbird assemblages that utilized these marine wetlandsproviding useful tools for the knowledge and conservation of the natural resources ofthis protected area.