Densities and habitat preferences of Andean cloud-forest birds in pristineand degraded habitats in north-eastern Ecuador

The montane cloud-forests of the north-central Andes and the montane grassl and and transitional elfin forest of the central Andean paramo contain a hi gh diversity of bird species including several restricted range and uncommo n species. Little is known of how densities of Andean cloud-forest species are affected by habitat degradation. Bird densities within pristine and deg raded habitats at the Guandera Biological Reserve, Carchi province, Ecuador were recorded over a 10-week period. Densities were calculated for 48 spec ies; where densities could be compared, 69% of species occurred at a higher density in pristine habitats. Pristine forest had the highest species rich ness with 72 species and paramo contained 44 species. In total, 26% of pris tine forest species were only found in pristine forest, 39% of paramo speci es only in paramo, 13% of farmland species only in farmland and there were no exclusively secondary scrub species; 47% of species found in pristine fo rest, and 50% found in paramo were found in both secondary scrub and farmla nd. Restricted range species recorded at Guandera included the Carunculated Caracara Phalcobenus carunculatus, Black-thighed Puffleg Eriocnemis derbyi , Chestnut-bellied Cotinga Doliornis remseni, Crescent-faced Antpitta Grall aricula lineifrons, Masked Mountain-tanager Buthraupis wetmorei and Black-b acked Bush-tanager Uuothraupis stolzmanni. Three further species that occur red at Guandera of relatively local occurrence were the Grey-breasted Mount ain Toucan Andigena hypoglauca, Golden-breasted Puffleg Eriocnemis mosquera and Mountain Avocetbill Opisthoprora euryptera. Of these nine species at l east five used degraded habitats, while three occurred only in pristine tre eline habitats.