AVIFAUNA OF THE UPPER ESSEQUIBO RIVER AND ACARY MOUNTAINS, SOUTHERN GUYANA

Abstract

We conducted two extensive and several shorter-term avifaunal surveys during different seasons in the upper Essequibo River drainage of extreme southern Guyana, one of the least human-impacted areas on the planet. A total of 441 avian species were recorded including the first Guyana records for 12 species. Four additional species were documented with the first Guyana specimens. Relative abundance, habitat preferences, and breeding status are presented. The species list for the Upper Essequibo region is higher than that for an intensively studied site north of Manaus, Brazil, but lower than that for the Iwokrama Forest in central Guyana. The likely expla- nation for differences in species composition between these sites is habitat heterogeneity. Accepted 3 March 2007.