Warning! Urban Threats for Birds in Latin America

Abstract

Wild birds are subject to a diverse array of natural causes of mortality, such as predation and parasitism. However, anthropogenic sources are becoming major threats for birds, particularly in urban systems, where major ecological impacts can affect both intra- and interspecific interactions. For instance, host-parasite interactions are modified in such a way that parasites can start appearing in novel hosts and generate health problems. Furthermore, nonnative predators can severely affect bird populations, at times driving them locally extinct when occurring in combination with the reduction of suitable sites. In this chapter, we show that urbanization entails such drastic alterations on the environment that antagonistic interactions can become an important threat to birds. Predation by cats has been identified as the most important threat to urban birds, accounting for up to billions of deaths annually in the USA alone, followed by bird collisions with building structures. Our review reveals a lack of knowledge related to the main urban bird threats in Latin America. The available information suggests that cats and collisions with building structures and vehicles might also be major sources of bird mortality in the region. However, it is premature to make generalizations at this stage because Latin American cities develop differently and are immersed in diverse socioecological contexts (i.e., different cultural habits imposed by local environmental conditions). We suggest that systematic studies in urban Latin America should focus on three main areas: (i) predation by cats; (ii) building and vehicle collisions; and (iii) alterations of host-parasite interactions.