Changes in the nocturnal activity of birds during the covid–19 pandemic lockdown in a neotropical city

Abstract

Changes in the nocturnal activity of birds during the COVID–19 pandemic lockdown in a neotropical city. The COVID–19 lockdown provided the opportunity to measure species biodiversity in urban environments under conditions divergent from regular urban rhythms. For 90 days, including weeks of strict lockdown and the subsequent relaxation of restrictions, we measured the presence and abundance of birds that were active at night at two sites in the city of Cali, Colombia. Our results show that species richness of nocturnal birds decreased 40 % to 58 % during the weeks with more human activity, adding further evidence to the biodiversity responses of the 'anthropause' on urban environments.