Breeding birds of ‘Nomentum’ nature reserve (central Italy): a forest remnant landscape surrounded by an agro-urbanized matrix

Abstract

We carried out a standardized breeding bird atlas of “Nomentum” nature reserve (central Italy), located in a fragmented hilly forest near a large urbanized area (Rome). In order to obtain data about local composition, occurrence, distribution and richness, we correlated data with environmental heterogeneity and vegetation structure variables. We recorded 58 species in 48 500x500 m-wide atlas units, with Parus major, Corvus cornix, Turdus merula, Sylvia atricapilla, Sylvia melanocephala, as the most occurring in frequency (> 80%). Although synanthropic species represent only slightly more than 20% in number and urban environments are relatively reduced in size, these species show a higher mean occurrence when compared to mosaic species, despite the fact that these last are higher in species number and mosaic habitats are widely diffused. Local urbanization may disrupt communities, facilitating opportunistic species linked to these environments (i.e. synantropic) and inducing a decline in mosaic species. Moreover, the homogenization induced by anthropization could, at least partially, explain the lack of correlation between habitat diversity and species richness, at local scale. Finally, tree density and diameter do not affect total bird richness at this spatial grain/scale. In this regard, further analyses could test for possible correlations between habitat variables and single ecological guilds.