Avifauna of a white-sand forest in the Colombian Amazon

ABSTRACT White-sand forests are unique ecosystems with high levels of biological specificity. Despite their uniqueness, these ecosystems have significant knowledge gaps in Colombia regarding the associated vertebrate communities, particularly birds. Between February and March 2015, richness and composition of birds in a white-sand forest in the southern-most region of the Colombian Amazon were evaluated using mist nets and censuses. 38 bird species were detected, less than half of the number recorded in the surrounding terra-firme forest (81 species). In addition, the white-sand forest exhibited a high degree of specificity, as indicated by a Jaccard index of 0.25 when compared to the terra-firme forest. Although this ecosystem currently faces low conservation threats in this region of Colombia, its biological fragility and specificity, and the absence of a legal protection status, make it a vulnerable ecosystem.