Distribution, abundance and age composition of the Flamenco bands…

ABSTRACT

The pink flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) is a bird species with regional populations in the insular and continental Caribbean that has a particular conservation status. This paper presents the preliminary results of the census of the populations of this species in the wetlands of Yucatan during an annual cycle (2011-2012), with the objective of determining its abundance and distribution within the area of the state of Yucatan. The results show that there are four regions of importance for this species, with population abundances of 325.4 ± 186.8 birds per count station (n=450). The distribution was wide, being located in most of the transects (n=22) and study areas, although six sites were shown to be selected as main refuges within three regions. The analysis of the sites where P. ruber was recorded shows differences according to the seasonality of the year; however, the results suggest that the abundance of the species depends mostly on the life cycle and habitat conditions, which allows inferring preferences according to age group. Because studies of the flamingo population in the state of Yucatan in the last twenty years have focused on its reproductive phase or behavior, the data obtained in this study are useful to understand some aspects of its non-reproductive ecology, as well as to know the flamingos' refuge sites by age group.