Abstract
The tropical montane cloud forests (TMCF) of the Talamanca Mountains of Costa Rica are a unique and understudied habitat that is home to a high number of endemic bird species. Cloudbridge Nature Reserve is a TMCF reforestation reserve lying on the Pacific slope of Cerro Chirripó in the cantón of Pérez Zeledón. Here, we synthesize data collected at Cloudbridge between March 2016 and May 2020 from multi-year point count, walking, call-playback, and camera trap surveys along with photographs collected from February 2007 to April 2021 to present a bird species inventory of the reserve. In total, 204 bird species from 40 families, including 40 endemic species, were identified, and monthly presence summarized for each species. We discuss the implications of our findings for understanding TMCF avian communities, as well as the importance of year-round surveys using a variety of techniques to better capture overall avian diversity.
Highlights
Costa Rica, a small country accounting for only 0.03% of the world’s surface, is home to approximately 4.5% of the world’s described biodiversity and is considered one of the most species dense countries in the world (Kohlmann2011)
The results of point count, walking survey, call-playback, and camera trapping surveys have been combined with photographic evidence to compile a bird inventory of Cloudbridge Nature Reserve in the Talamanca Mountains of Costa Rica
The tropical montane cloud forests (TMCF) of Central America are known for their high concentration of endemic species (Hernández-Baños et al 1995; Jankowski and Rabenold 2007) which holds true at Cloudbridge as, of the 204 bird species documented in the reserve, 20% are endemics
Summary
Costa Rica, a small country accounting for only 0.03% of the world’s surface, is home to approximately 4.5% of the world’s described biodiversity and is considered one of the most species dense countries in the world (Kohlmann2011). The defining characteristic of TMCFs is “persistent cloud cover/fog at the vegetation or ground level that ensures that the tree crowns are regularly in contact with cloud water,” which is an essential source of moisture for the organisms within these forests (Ray 2013). Their location on mountain tops and dependence upon persistent cloud cover makes TMCFs vulnerable to the effects of climate change as meteorological changes can shift the cloud base up or off these mountains (Bubb et al 2004; Ray 2013)
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