A Nation-Wide Standardized Bird Survey Scheme for Venezuela

Abstract

Abstract We developed a field survey protocol based on the North American Breeding Bird Survey to evaluate the efficiency and reliability of a bird monitoring scheme in the Neotropics, known as NeoMaps. A team of 21 amateur and professional ornithologists conducted bird counts at 27 locations distributed throughout Venezuela between March and April 2010. Locations selected followed a stratified spatial sampling design derived from environmental and biogeographical variables. Two complementary survey protocols were implemented in consecutive days along 40-km-long roadside transects. Three-minute point counts were performed at 50 stops, 800 m from each other on day 1. Cumulative species lists were recorded at a selection of 10 stops sampled for 9 min each, divided into three consecutive 3-min periods on day 2. We recorded 593 species at the 27 sites combined, representing 57% of the 1,033 potential species, or 43% of all known Venezuelan species. An additional 83 species were recorded outside of the formal ...