Bird Communities in Wetlands along the Lower Paraná River,Entre Ríos,Argentina

Abstract

The Paraná River develops a wide and complex floodplain with a vast heterogeneity of habitats, which allows the existence of diverse biotic communities adapted to aquatic conditions. The specific composition of bird populations in different ecosystems depends on the factors that operate in a spatio-temporal level. The aim of this work was to describe the bird communities in part of the Lower Parana Valley. We detected in the area of study, 7,462 birds belonging to 129 species of 39 Families and 14 Orders. In relation to the phenology of the detected species, 97 species are resident. This rich diversity is associated with the local environmental characteristics facilitating the presence of a large number of species. Each environmental unit presents a particular group of birds, which could indicate that species respond to spatial heterogeneity according to the requirements of the habitat.