Abstract

VEREA, Carlos; ANTON, Franné  and  SOLORZANO, Alecio. Avifauna of a banana plantation from northern Venezuela. Bioagro [online]. 2010, vol.22, n.1, pp.43-52. ISSN 1316-3361.

The bird community structure of a banana plantation (Musa sp.) in northern Venezuela was determined by taken mist-netting samples of the avifauna. The expected richness resulted poor (22 species) when the plantation was compared with other natural and cultivated environments of the region. Also, it showed low capacity to support an important number of species and individuals, including those birds with patrimonial value (endemic, threatened) and lodged a high number of birds common of disturbed area (73 %). Besides, the plantation registered the lowest number of families (10) reported to any other environment in northern Venezuela. Of them, Tyrannidae dominated in richness (23.0 % of total species) and Trochilidae in abundance (37.7 % of total captures). Families such as Dendrocolaptidae, Furnariidae, Thamnophilidae and Formicariidae, indicators of environmental quality, were totally absent. Also, there was a replacement of insectivores, a traditionally domineering guild and environmental quality indicator of tropical environments, by frugivore-insectivores in richness and nectarivore-insectivores in abundance. These features represent a low importance for the local avifauna conservation. Nevertheless, banana plantation showed some intercontinental importance by lodging a similar number of migratory birds as those reported in other Venezuelan environments, being particularly useful to Falco peregrinus, an observed species that fed from Columbidae birds presents in the crop. Although we improve the knowledge of birds associated to banana plantations in Venezuela, its intensive exploitation must be outlined as a practice unfriendly with the environment.

Keywords : Musa sp; bird communities; conservation; ecology.