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Colonial waterbird populations in the Sian Ka'an biosphere reserve (Quintana Roo, Mexico)

1992; Wilson Ornithological Society; Volume: 104; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

1938-5447

Arturo Lopez-Ornat, Cristina Ramo,

Marine animal studies overview

r.-This is the first colonial waterbird survey in the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Re- serve, the largest wetland ecosystem (ca 350,000 ha) in the Yucatdn peninsula. We counted birds at breeding sites and feeding concentrations during aerial and boat surveys in seasons between 1982 and 1988. An annual mean of 1259 pairs of three species of Pelecaniformes and 3118 pairs of nine species of colonial Ciconiiformes were found breeding at 15 locations in the study area. Seasonal variations of the Ciconiiform populations were found to follow the changes in the water levels. For some of the breeding species, populations in the study area were found to be of regional and national importance to the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of Mexico. Received 27 June 1991, accepted 26 Jan. 1992. Wetlands in Mexico have received little attention from ornithologists, although they are known to harbor important populations of waterbirds (Sprunt and Knoder 1980, Saunders and Saunders 1981, Scott and Car- bonell 1986). Some of the most extensive coastal wetlands in North and Central America and the Caribbean occur in southeastern Mexico, name- ly in the Usumacinta-Grijalva Delta on the gulf coast, and in the limestone wetlands that almost entirely surround the flat Yucatan peninsula. This wetland belt around the peninsula has a varying width, up to 25-35 km inland in the central coast of Quintana Roo where the Sian Ka'an reserve lies.