Urbanization as a driver of change: Differential ecological patterns of native and non-native parrots (Psittaciformes: Psittacidae) in an urban tropical city
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15517/qy33nj18Keywords:
avian ecology, biodiversity conservation, synurbanization, tropical Andes, urban ecologyAbstract
Introduction: Parrots and related birds (i.e., Psittacidae, hereafter “parrots”) include species that often establish non-native populations in cities. However, little is known about their species-specific ecological patterns to urbanization in tropical cities. Objectives: To analyze changes in species richness, abundance, and composition across different urbanization levels and to compare abundance trends of most abundant species regarding built-up, grass and tree cover at different spatial scales (i.e., 200, 500, 1 000 m) for parrots in Medellín, Colombia. Methods: Parrot surveys were conducted from September 2021 to February 2022 (using transects, n = 10) and July 2023 to August 2023 (using point counts n = 220). Parrot abundance patterns were analyzed with Generalized Linear Models (GLMs), selecting the significant variable and best models based on Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Quasi-Akaike Information Criterion corrected (QAICc), respectively. Results: We recorded ten parrot species; six of them were non-native (i.e., outside their natural range of distribution): Eupsittula pertinax, Ara spp. and Amazona spp. The remaining four were native species: Brotogeris jugularis, Forpus conspicillatus, Pionus chalcopterus, and Psittacara wagleri. B. jugularis, F. conspicillatus and E. pertinax were the most abundant species, B. jugularis increased its abundance in areas with higher urbanization levels and F. conspicillatus in areas with lower levels. E. pertinax showed higher abundances in areas with medium to high urbanization levels (51-75 %), but it showed relationships with lower statistical power. Conclusions: Our finding suggest that the parrot assemblage in Medellín is mainly represented by non-native species in richness and composition, but native species are more abundant. Acknowledging these differences in ecological patterns in species can help improve urban wildlife management in tropical cities.
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