Diversity and abundance of marine birds in a stretch of the north coast of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Abstract

The coastal avifauna is an important element in the dynamics of the ecosystems where it lives, and the coastal plain is regarded as a very high priority area for preserving the regional biodiversity. Due to the lack of information on the birds which go to the north coast of Rio Grande do Sul, especially in stretches with an intense anthropic occupation, and the importance of this group as a biodiversity constituent, this paper aims, with a conservational purpose, to provide data on the coastal avifauna. The study presents a survey of marine and coastal birds, in a stretch between the towns of Tramandai and Palmares do Sul, in the state’s northern coast, establishing the seasonal variation and estimating the abundance of each species throughout one year. The study took place over 50 km of seashore, monthly went through by car, and the birds observed in this route were counted with the aid of binoculars. The samplings took place within the period of 14 months. One recorded 21,888 birds, of 44 species, belonging to 20 families, which represent 10 orders. The most abundant families were Scolopacidae, Charadriidae, Laridae, and Haematopodidae, representing the Charadriiformes order.

Keywords

• Coastal zone
• Marine birds
• Southern Brazil