Status of the three?wattled bellbird (procnias tricarunculatus) in the nicoya mountains, Costa Rica

Abstract

Wildlife conservation often relies on accurate data of species distributions, yet scientific knowledge is often limited in scope. Local knowledge and habitat mapping can provide additional information particularly useful in assessing the absence or presence of a species or population. In May 2015, we combined point counts, local interviews, citizen science databases, and habitat mapping to assess the presence of breeding Three-wattled Bellbirds (Procnias tricarunculatus), a species listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN, in the Nicoya Mountains of Costa Rica, where a disjunct population had previously been reported. Our point counts, local interviews, and citizen science databases provided strong evidence that bellbirds no longer breed in the Nicoya Mountains, and our habitat mapping demonstrated that a minimum of 23% of the bellbird habitat is now pasture. We conclude that a putative historic resident population of this species is now most likely non-existent in the Nicoya Mountains.