Species poor but distinct: bird assemblages in white sand vegetation in Jau National Park, Brazilian Amazon

There have been few studies of the fauna of the distinctive vegetation that grows on sandy soil in Amazonia. Leached and nutrient-poor sandy soil is associated with a vegetation type that varies in structure from open fields (campinas) to low canopy forests (campinaranas). During a bird inventory in sandy soil vegetation at Jau National Park (JNP), I recorded 128 bird species, with 55 in campina and 94 in campinarana. Estimates suggested only 150 bird species should be expected to occur in these habitats, a reduced species diversity compared with other vegetation types in the Amazon region. This low species diversity is probably linked to the low productivity of this habitat and its relatively simple vegetation structure. Despite the relatively low diversity, at least 14 bird species (3% of the entire avifauna) appear to be restricted to white sand vegetation in JNP. In Amazonia as a whole, some 37 bird species are associated with vegetation in sandy soils. Biological inventories of other taxa are needed to understand the contribution of white sandy vegetation to the faunal distribution in Amazonia.