IIMYC   23581
INSTITUTO DE INVESTIGACIONES MARINAS Y COSTERAS
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
artículos
Título:
Shorebird Seasonal Abundance and Habitat-use Patterns in Punta Rasa, Samborombón Bay, Argentina
Autor/es:
MARTÍNEZ-CURCI, N.; ISACCH, J. P.; AZPIROZ, A. B.
Revista:
WATERBIRDS (DE LEON SPRINGS, FLA.)
Editorial:
WATERBIRD SOC
Referencias:
Año: 2015 vol. 38 p. 68 - 76
ISSN:
1524-4695
Resumen:
Shorebird assemblage composition and habitat-use patterns were characterized at Punta Rasa during the austral summer, autumn and winter. In the regional context the area showed high diversity, reflected by a total of 22 species recorded within a relatively short time frame. Differences in assemblage structure driven by the use of estuarine mudflats and oceanic sandy beaches as feeding habitats were found. During low tide, more species used estuarine environments where they achieved the highest total densities. Abundance patterns and assemblage composition also changed seasonally. Total abundance was maximum during the austral summer and minimum in the austral winter. In austral summer the assemblage was dominated by the Nearctic migrants such as American Golden-Plover (Pluvialis dominica), White-rumped Sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis) and Hudsonian Godwit (Limosa haemastica). Together with these species, the Two-banded Plover (Charadrius falklandicus) and American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus), were also among the most abundant during austral autumn. The Red Knot (Calidris canutus), a shorebird which dominated the austral autumn assemblage 25 years ago, was recorded in relatively small numbers during this work, probably reflecting the global population trend of the C. c. rufa in the last decades. During the austral winter, resident birds largely dominated the assemblage. However some individuals of nine Nearctic migrant species remained in the area during this season. In the case of the endangered Red Knot, Punta Rasa is, along with Lagoa do Peixe in Brazil, one of the sites in South America with the highest known abundances during the austral winter.