RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HABITAT TRAITS AND BIRD DIVERSITY AND COMPOSITION IN SELECTED URBAN GREEN AREAS OF MEXICO CITY

Green spaces within cities counteract the loss of bird diversity due to urbanization because they provide food, nesting sites, and protection against predators. Nevertheless, the influence of vegetation,area, and impervious surfaces on the distribution of wild species is not well understood and can vary between seasons and even from city to city in different parts of the world. In this study we estimated bird abundances in 12 parks of Mexico City during two seasons in 2008. We found 96 songbirds and grouped them according to their urban affinities and migratory status. The number of species increased in relation to park area in the breeding season, but not during the migratory season. Unexpectedly, migratory bird richness increased in relation to distance from natural woodlands. Furthermore, seven winter transient parulines were common in all parks and could therefore be considered as suburban adaptable. On the other hand, species that use urban resources and tolerate the conditions created by human beings in towns and cities were more abundant in parks with a high impervious cover and/or located far from natural areas. In both seasons, the opposite was true for insectivore-frugivorous species, which generally avoid urban areas. The latter group was more abundant in larger parks as well. Widely distributed species tended to be ground insectivore-granivores and many were gregarious. Indicator value analyses selected 22 species in winter and 17 in the breeding season. The distribution of these birds was associated with distance to natural areas and impervious surfaces cover in both seasons, and with the cover of small-leaved trees in the wintering season and the cover of Fraxinus uhdei in the breeding season: These results may be useful for future management actions focused on the conservation of songbirds in urban parks. Accepted 12 September 2013.