Biodiversity of birds in Parque Estadual do Jaraguá (SP)

Abstract

Birds are the most studied and known group of vertebrates due mainly to their predominantly daily habits and their conspicuous colored pattern. They are extremely important on biological control, seed distribution and ecological conditions survey of a given environment. They can be useful bioindicators and also be used in planning management in natural areas. This research on bird checklist was developed at Parque Estadual do Jaraguá (SP), which is located in the urban area of the city of São Paulo and shows some impacts caused by the non-controlled urban growth and by the huge frequency of visitations. This research intends to check the birds that live in an urban park and their response to all the frequent impacts on the park. The observations were made fortnightly in the mornings, when birds are active, from September 2003 to September 2004. The research was conducted in the traditional way, through walks and binoculars visualization along three paths inside the woods, in the lakes and nearby areas. 70 species from 26 families and 15 orders were observed. The most frequent species were Phalacrocorax brasilianus, Casmerodius alba, Coragys atratus, Galinulla chlorops, Columbia lívia, Brotogeris tirica, Pitangus sulphuratus, Turdus rufi ventris, Zonotrichia capensis, Basileuterus culicivurus and Coereba fl aveola. The less frequent species were Buteo Magnirostris, Columba pumplea, Columbina talpacoti, Crotophaga ani, Dryocopus lineatus, Knipolegus nigerrimus, Myiodynastes maculatus, Chiroxiphia caudata, Saltator fuliginosus, Pipraeidea melanonota, Passer domesticus and Trichothraupis melanops.