Abundancia y nuevos registros de búhos simpátricos en manizales yvillamaría (caldas, Colombia)

Studies on species abundance of Neotropical owls in urban and peri-urban environments are few. Between May and September 2013, the relative abundance of sympatric owls in four localities of Manizales (Caldas, Colombia) was estimated by counting spontaneous calls through pre-established trails and calculating the percentage of recordings of each species in different types of vegetation. Furthermore, new records for eight owl species were documented in 17 localities of Manizales and Villamaría. Four owl species were detected in the trails: Ciccaba virgata, Megascops choliba, Asio stygius, and Tyto alba. The species recorded from high to low relative abundance were: in the locality of La Esmeralda, A. stygius (0.37 ind./km), M. choliba, C. virgata, and T. alba (0.02), in El Recinto del Pensamiento, C. virgata (0.37), A. stygius, M. choliba, and T. alba (0.05), in El Bosque Popular El Prado, M. choliba (0.84), C. virgata, and T. alba (0.03), and in El Ecoparque Alcázares, C. virgata (0.74), and A. stygius (0.10). C. virgata was recorded in all types of vegetation, although the greatest number of records for this species was obtained in forests associated with open recreation areas. M. choliba was recorded in four types of vegetation, with the greatest number of sightings in open areas with mature trees. The low sensitivity of C. virgata and M. choliba to perturbations and their adaptability to occupy a wide number of environments could put them at an advantage to achieve the highest levels of abundance among the owls in Manizales. A. stygius and T. alba were recorded with greater frequency in pine tree plantations.