Abstract

OSBAHR, Karin  and  CONSTANZA GOMEZ, Norma. ABUNDANCE, HABITAT USE AND BEHAVIOUR OF THE SPOT-FLANKED GALLINULE (Gallinula melanops bogotensis Chapman 1914) IN THE GUAYMARAL WETLAND, BOGOTÁ - COLOMBIA. rev.udcaactual.divulg.cient. [online]. 2011, vol.14, n.1, pp.81-91. ISSN 0123-4226.

The urban wetlands of Bogota have preserved endemic fauna among which stands out the spot-flanked Gallinule (Gallinula melanops bogotensis) as an endemis subspecies of the wetland system of the Eastern Cordillera in the departments of Cundinamarca and Boyacá. The few wetlands that still exist in the area of Bogota and its surroundings have been considered the most threatened ecosystems in Colombia and as a result the populations of G. m. bogotensis have dropped significantly. The aim of this study was to establish the abundance of the species through continuous monitoring for three consecutive years, indicating in turn the habitat requirements for maintaining the species. Direct counts were performed three times per month in the morning from January 2008 to March 2010 for a total of 69 days of sampling. To complement the study, specific observations were made during four full days taking activity data. Even if the wetland has suffered permanent changes a population with reproductive activity remains. The relative abundance of the population showed changes over the months, sectors and age groups sampled. The observations of the behavior of G. m. bogotensis showed a higher habitat use, reflected in greater abundance, relative to sectors that keep floating vegetation, while at the reeds, the round and recorded plant associations the species was less abundant in all the sectors studied.

Keywords : Rallidae; preference; pleustophytic vegetation; populations.

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