The conservation status of raptors in the Metropolitan Region, Chile

The Mediterranean ecosystem in the Metropolitan Region of Chile is among th e most threatened in the country because of human impacts caused by the con centration of 5.5 million people in an area of only 15 800 km(2). We analyz e species presence at three spatial scales: the entire region, Santiago cit y and its surroundings, and two suburban localities where there has been in tensive monitoring of raptors in the recent past. Twenty four raptor specie s (18 Falconiformes and 6 Strigiformes) were found in the Metropolitan Regi on (83% of Chile's total). Twenty-one of them are resident species that bre ed and winter in the area. Overall, four species have increased over the la st 30 years, seven have decreased, and 11 remained at the same levels. Ther e is insufficient information available to determine the status of two spec ies. Of the 24 species in the region, 18 occur in the vicinity of Santiago, the largest city in the country We classified seven species (29% of the re gional total) as either urban (four species) or suburban raptors (three spe cies), and we discuss how they apparently cope and even thrive in such a la rge urban area.