Community of diurnal birds of prey in an urban area in southeastern Brazil

Abstract

As urban areas expand, some species of diurnal birds of prey occupy these habitats, and many establish viable populations. The objectives of this study were to: (1) survey the species of birds of prey in the urban area located in the interior of the Sao Paulo state, Brazil, (2) to verify the proportion of generalist and specialist species in terms of habitat and diet, (3) determine the period that the species are more active during the time period of the point counts, and (4) to evaluate if there is a pattern of seasonality. Samples were collected monthly between October 2014 and September 2016 using the point counts method (four points; 4 hr duration each). We analyzed species richness, habitat and diet, number of contacts and frequency of occurrence, period of greatest activity, and seasonality. We recorded 19 species of birds of prey through 2555 contacts. Most of the registered species (61%) were habitat and diet generalists, and the same percentage of species classified as uncommon or rare. In relation to the period of greatest activity, falconids were more active in the first hour while accipitrids and cathartids were more active in the fourth hour. In addition, we did not observe a seasonal pattern in this community, but Gampsonyx swainsonii showed a seasonal trend. We verified that the urban area of the municipality of Pirajui has a significant diversity of birds of prey, including specialist species of habitat and diet. This information obtained evidence the importance of urban environments for birds of prey and showed the ability of these species to use this environment. From our results, we suggest that future studies should evaluate the effects of urban areas of different sizes and degrees of urbanization on bird of prey communities.