Establishing biodiversity baselines of avian communities in two arid ecoregions of northern Patagonia

Bird diversity and composition is key for environmental assessments and conservation planning. Bird diversity associated with arid ecosystems has received substantial research interest worldwide. However, bird communities in the arid areas of Patagonia have been scarcely examined. In this study, we analyze the richness, abundance, and composition of bird species along a transect from the Andes to the Atlantic coast in northern Patagonia associated with two arid ecoregions—the Monte and the Patagonian steppe. We established 14 sampling stations along Route 23. A total of 14 bird surveys were conducted at each station between 1998 and 2012. We examined variations in bird community composition across 14 stations using distance-based redundancy analysis (dbRDA) including the environmental variables of mean temperature, annual precipitation, the presence of trees (associated with ranch houses), and water availability (categorized as permanent, temporary, or absent). A total of 126 bird species belonging to 20 orders and 38 families were recorded at the sampling points. We found that mean temperature and water availability play a key role in structuring avian communities in arid ecosystems. Given the ongoing challenges posed by global warming in the region, including severe droughts, these findings highlight the importance of establishing a baseline for future studies. Such data are crucial for developing management plans aimed at preserving bird diversity in these vulnerable ecosystems.