FURB – UNIVERSIDADE REGIONAL DE BLUMENAU - SBO

XII CBO – Congresso Brasileiro de Ornitologia
21 a 26 de novembro de 2004
Universidade Regional de Blumenau/SC
EFFECTS OF FOREST FRAGMENTATION ON BEHAVIOUR AND
POPULATION- ECOLOGY OF SELECTED BIRD SPECIES OF THE MATA
ATLÂNTICA IN THE STATE OF SÃO PAULO
M.M. Hansbauer 1 , I. Storch², R. Pimentel³, R. Iartelli³, J.P. Metzger³, S. Leu², R.
Borntraeger 1 , J.P. Nieto Holguin², U. Hettich 1
1
Munich University of Technical Sciences, Wildlife Research and Management Unit;
Munich,Germany
² University of Freiburg, Department of Wildlife Ecology and Management; Freiburg, Germany
³ University of São Paulo, Department of Ecology; São Paulo
* correspondence: Miriam-Melanie@web.de
The Mata Atlantic is a global biodiversity hotspot rich in endemic and threatened
species. Due to urban development and agriculture, deforestation proceeds rapidly, and
is therefore a major challenge for biodiversity conservation. Mata Atlantica fragments
differ in size, successional stage, vegetation structure, connectivity, and surrounding
matrix. Within this landscape, some forest bird species may survive only in the largest
fragments, while others may traverse the matrix and move between fragments. The
objective of our study is to assess how forest fragmentation and landscape features
affect the movements of different forest bird species, since survival of forest birds may
partly depend on the species' ability to move between fragments. In the area of Caucaia
(Sao Paulo, 23°35'S, 23°50'S / 46°45'W, 47°15'W) we chose 5 fragments (3 - 300 ha)
and a control area – a natural reserve of 10,000 ha – as our study areas. We use radio
telemetry on three forest bird species: Chiroxiphia caudata (Pipridae), Pyriglena
leucoptera (Thaminophilidae) and Sclerurus scansor (Furnariidae). Via daily
triangulation the position and hence movements of tagged individuals are documented.
Vegetation structure related to individual bird occurrence is analysed to see habitat
preferences. To get further information about the densities of these three species, point
counts are conducted in the interior of the fragments, as well as near the border. All
results will be analysed in a landscape context to see, if fragment size, vegetation
structure within the fragments, connectivity of the fragments, matrix structure, or forest
cover within the landscape have an influence on bird behaviour. The results will provide
valuable insight into habitat use and dependency on forest structures of bird species in
fragmented landscapes. They will contribute to optimising landscape planning for
maintaining biodiversity within fragmented forest landscapes of the Mata Atlântica.
Until September 2004, we obtained daily locations for periods of at least 3 weeks for 25
individuals of C. caudata (11 in the unfragmented control area (CA), 14 in the
fragmented landscape (FL)), 10 individuals of P. leucoptera (4 (CA) and 6 (FL)) and 12
individuals of S. scansor (9 (CA) and 3 (FL)). The birds used areas of 1 to 9 ha (C.
caudata), 10 to 17 ha (P. leucoptera), and 7 to 16 ha (S. scansor). Results are
preliminary and do not yet allow conclusions regarding bird response to fragmentation.
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