Yearly variation in the structure and diversity of a non-breeding passerine bird community in a Mediterranean wetland

Abstract

Background: The dynamics and structure of many bird communities are changing due to the global warming and changes in the land use and management. The Ebro Valley constitutes one of the chief wintering areas for several passerine species in Iberia, and the reed beds spread across this Valley concentrate huge numbers of birds that use them to roost, while the surrounding agricultural areas serve as main foraging habitats. The aims of this work are (1) to quantify how variable a non-breeding passerine bird community associated to a reed bed area in the Ebro Valley is, and, (2) to test for the effect of weather on possible annual fluctuations in species' proportions at a regional/local scale. Methods: We used for that ringing data collected at Badina de Escudera lagoon (Navarra) over a 12-year period. Results: Though, overall, the assemblage did not vary strongly among years (most similarity values were > 0.8), we still found a significant linear effect of year on the proportion of captures of Reed Buntings (Emberiza schoeniclus), i.e., the dominant species detected in our passerine community. The increasing loss of weight of Reed Buntings in the community was due to a progressive decrease in its abundance. Conclusions: The structure and diversity of passerine community in Badina Escudera was not influenced by meteorological conditions at a local scale, suggesting that local weather would not have an impact on numbers of Reed Buntings in winter.