Urban bird communities in Guyana

1. Urban bird communities in Guyana: bringing conservation to a neotropical city
BACKGROUND
The neotropics are rapidly urbanising, with natural ecosystems being replaced by human-modified
habitats such as towns and cities.
Urban planners need better information about habitats to maintain or enhance biodiversity in towns
and cities.
Urban habitats can support a diverse communities of plants and animals. However, most of our
knowledge has been derived from studying temperate ecosystems.
The aim of this study was to identify the habitats and features of a neotropical urban environment that
are important in supporting bird diversity and conservation.
Hayes WM¹, Bicknell JE¹, Fisher JC¹, Pierre M², Davies ZG¹
Managed greenspaces and urban bluespaces are particularly key
habitat types for the bird community in this neotropical city.
Urban bluespace in Georgetown, comprised mainly of canals, is not
managed for the benefit of biodiversity but supported high bird
diversity.
Converting greenspaces and bluespaces into other land uses could
have irreversible impacts on biodiversity.
Biodiversity survey data is needed by planners and managers so they
can make informed evidence-based urban development and
conservation intervention decisions.
¹Durrell Institute Of Conservation & Ecology (DICE), University of Kent, Canterbury, ²WildCRU, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford,
Oxford.
Pond
Bird point counts were
conducted in May and
June 2017 in 114
survey stations across
six habitat types (19
per habitat type).
The coverage of each
habitat feature within
a 50 m radius of the
centre of each survey
station was also
assessed.
Bird communities were surveyed within six broad habitat types.
grass
tree
shrub
canal pond
pavement
building
road
drainocean
%
Managed
greenspace
Unmanaged
greenspace
Coastal
bluespace
Urban
bluespace
Sparse
urban
Dense
urban
Great kiskadee
(Pitangus sulphuratus)
We recorded 3408 birds from 98 species across
the six habitat types.
Bird communities varied significantly with
habitat type, with managed greenspace and
urban bluespace supporting the highest
diversities.
Six species were observed in all six habitat
types: great kiskadee (most abundant species
overall), rock pigeon, ruddy-ground dove, grey-
breasted martin, blue-grey tanager and shiny
cowbird.
CONCLUSIONS
RESULTS
STUDY SYSTEM: GEORGETOWN, GUYANA
Managed greenspace
(parks, gardens, sports pitches)
Unmanaged greenspace
(brownfield sites, vegetated roadside plots)
Urban bluespace
(canals, rivers, pond)
Coastal bluespace
(ocean, beach, mudflat)
Dense urban
(city centre, high building density)
Sparse urban
(suburbs, low building density)
Dominant
habitat
features
+
-
Bird Community
NMDS Ordination
Managed greenspace Unmanaged greenspace
Urban bluespaceCoastal bluespace
Dense urbanSparse urban
Great
kiskadee
Great
kiskadee
Great
kiskadee
Great
kiskadee
Great
kiskadee
Shiny
cowbird
Ruddy
ground
dove
Ruddy
ground
dove
Ruddy
ground
dove
Rock
pigeon
Rock
pigeon
Rock
pigeon
Blue-black
grassquit
Blue-black
grassquit
Short-
crested
flycatcher
Wing-
barred
seedeater
Tropical
kingbird
Little blue
heron
Snowy
egret
Snowy
egretLittle blue
heron
Collared
plover
Wattled
jacana
Wattled
jacana
Pied
water
tyrant
Blue-grey
tanager
Roadside
hawk
House
wren
Pale-
breasted
thrush
72 sp.
846
56 sp.
590
Diversity
No. of
sightings
Top 3 sp. Indicator sp. Diversity
No. of
sightings
Top 3 sp. Indicator sp.
Diversity
No. of
sightings
Top 3 sp. Indicator sp.Diversity
No. of
sightings
Top 3 sp. Indicator sp.
Diversity
No. of
sightings
Top 3 sp. Indicator sp. Diversity
No. of
sightings
Top 3 sp. Indicator sp.
24 sp. 60 sp.
46 sp. 29 sp.
442 710
475 347
Roadside hawk
(Rupornis magnirostris)
Orange-winged amazon
(Amazona amazonica)
Georgetown
Venezuela
Guyana
Brazil
Suriname
Georgetown
Atlantic Ocean