Waterfowl in artificial wetlands in the southern Andes of Ecuador
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18272/reo.v12i1.3426Keywords:
Inter-Andean valleys, migratory birds, passage sites, resting sites, species records, urban wetlandsAbstract
Urban expansion and climate change are driving the progressive loss of natural wetlands, forcing waterbirds to use artificial wetlands as feeding or staging sites. Although artificial wetlands have been created for use or exploitation purposes, they can be important areas for biodiversity conservation. In this paper, we present records of waterbirds from three artificial wetlands in the city of Cuenca and its surroundings, located in the Andes of southern Ecuador. From October 2012 to April 2025, we conducted occasional visits to the Ucubamba Wastewater Treatment Plant (PTAR-U), El Paraíso Park and the seasonal wetland of Tarqui. We also reviewed the eBird platform to complement our data. We classified all species based on their resident or migratory status and threat category. We report a total of 38 species in the three wetlands, grouped into 9 families and 5 orders. Of the species recorded, 19 were residents, 18 boreal migrants, and one austral migrant. We recorded one species listed as Endangered in Ecuador, and one species as globally Vulnerable. Three typically lowland species were present year-around, and we found new breeding evidence for one species in the Andes of Ecuador. Additionally, we recorded 13 migratory and resident species that have few previous records in the southern Andes of Ecuador, and present specific accounts for 16 notable records. Our findings suggest that artificial wetlands can provide suitable habitats for the survival and reproduction of some waterbird species. Moreover, they highlight the importance of artificial wetlands as stopover and resting sites for migratory species during their migration season.
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