Composition and structure of diurnal birds of prey in the Coello river basin (Tolima)
Birds of prey are the apex predators of ecosystems and, therefore, fulfill an ecological function as controllers of their prey populations, contributing to the balance within natural ecosystems. There are 76 species of diurnal raptors in Colombia, making it one of the tropical countries with the highest number of species. They have a low reproductive rate, meaning they reproduce once or twice a year, and their population densities are low, requiring large areas of suitable habitat to survive.
Aim: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the diversity of diurnal birds of prey in an altitudinal gradient of the Coello River basin. Observation points were used on transects in nine sampling locations between 300-3600m in the Coello River basin. Additionally, records of raptors from the eBird platform were included from January 2022 to March 2024. Results: 45 species of raptors were recorded with three species in threat categories, the highest richness was recorded between 1000-2000m with 33 species (73%), coincides with what was found where a large part of the raptor species are found between 0-1500m, where richness tends to decrease as the increases elevation. The largest number of species were intermediate generalist carnivores (41%), open area species (69%) and non-forest dependent (80%). The accumulation curve recorded a sampling effort of 90%. The raptor community was dominated by six generalist species that benefit from habitat transformation, 13 species with wide distribution, with few records at all altitudinal levels. Conclusions: The community of diurnal birds of prey in the Coello River basin in terms of its composition and structure is influenced by broad altitudinal gradients where diversity decreases after intermediate heights as one ascends in elevation. In addition, a high representation of generalist and widely distributed species and few species with a narrow altitudinal range was found.
Keywords: carnivores, community, diversity, elevation, gradient, raptors, richness
About The Author
