We have said it before: Colombia is the country with the largest bird biodiversity in the world.
And as part of the initiatives that seek to promote it, in 2019 an environmental impact study was carried out at the Muña pumping station and Reservoir.
The main objective of the study was the characterization of the biotic environment in the area of influence for the fauna inventory, which was achieved with direct observation strategies to identify local and migratory birds found in the area and its surroundings.
Which birds were identified?
Among the 450 individuals identified, 61 were local and migratory birds, which belong to 14 orders and 26 families; the most representative families are the Rallidae and Thraupidae (Tanagers), each with five species, followed by the Tyrannidae, Scolopacidae and Anatidae, each with four.
Furthermore, the most abundant species were Sporathraupis cyanocephala (Blue-headed Tanager), Thraupis episcopus (Bluebird) and Diglossa humeralis (Black Honeycreeper), associated mainly with “Pastures” and “Dense Grasslands”. Of the 27 families of birds registered in the AID, 17 are represented by one species.
This bird biodiversity corresponds to the vegetation cover present in the area of influence and its surroundings, and to suitable spaces for productive agricultural and industrial work, for which there are abundant bird species without major habitat restrictions and associated with forest edges.
And although there are no significant arboreal spaces and, on the contrary, there are open areas destined for agricultural and industrial production, here there are spaces in natural and open regeneration, where the highest number of records occurs.
One of the areas to be highlighted is El Refugio Island, on the south side of the reservoir, given its potential to provide habitat, refuge and nesting areas and food for resident and migratory birds, due to the presence of reed beds that provide optimal habitat and microhabitat conditions for various species.
These facts show that the areas adjacent to the area of influence not only emerge as the most relevant habitats for bird species such as the Tringa solitaria (Solitary Sandpiper) or Troglodytes aedon (House Wren), but that their abundant resources are capable of harboring great bird biodiversity.