Richness and abundance of the assemblage of waterfowl associated with mangroves in the Coloma-Las Canas sector Richness and abundance of the assemblage of waterfowl associated with mangroves in the Coloma-Las Canas sector

Abstract

Therefore, the present research was carried out during the years 2021 to 2023, in mangrove areas of a Sector of the Coloma-Las Canas, in order to determine the richness and abundance of the assembly of waterfowl associated with this plant formation. For this purpose, three linear transects of variable width were established, with a separation between them of at least 100 m, where all the species of birds seen or heard were noted; for the analysis of diversity, the abundance range curves were analyzed, a cluster analysis was performed to analyze the similarity between areas, the Kruskal-Wallis mean comparison test was performed, to determine if there were differences between the values of richness and abundance of the birds detected between the areas and the years sampled. The species recorded were classified according to their residence, endemism, threat and trophic guild, species richness and abundance were estimated. A total of 536 individuals of 65 species of waterfowl were recorded, belonging to 14 orders, 26 families, of which 10 are endemic to Cuba and four to the Caribbean and the Antilles. The bird species detected were mostly migratory, grouped into 10 trophic groups, with shallow sounders, waders, aerial searchers and insectivores being the best represented. There were differences between the years studied, in relation to the richness and abundance of the species, with a decrease in 2022, after Hurricane Ian passed through the area. Keywords: waterfowl, diversity, mangrove.