Bird communities in two types of anthropogenic successional vegetation in central Amazonia

When primary forest in central Amazonia is cut and abandoned, the plant suc cession is dominated by Cecropia spp., whereas when it is cut and burned fo r pastures, the regrowth vegetation is dominated by Vismia spp. The bird co mmunities of these two regrowth forest types were sampled at six sites (9-1 3 years old) using mist-nets and observations. Bird species richness was si milar between the two forest types. Cecropia regrowth, however, was richer for strictly forest bird species than was Vismia regrowth. Mixed-flock spec ies and ant-following birds were significantly more abundant in the Cecropi a second growth, whereas nonforest insectivores and omnivores were more com mon in Vismia regrowth. The type of regrowth was found to influence bird sp ecies composition in the study sites. These results suggest that the type o f human disturbance has an important role in determining the bird communiti es that occupy early successional areas in central Amazonia.