Are mist-nets suitable for rapid habitat evaluations in the tropics? Results from a study in Guinea-Bissau

Abstract

Catry, P., Araújo, A., Cruz, C., Pinheiro, A., Poças, M., Nadum, J., Armelin, M.& Pereira, J.R. 1999. Are mist-nets suitable for rapid habitat evaluations in the tropics? Results from a study in Guyinea-Bissau. Ostrich 70(2) 134–137

There is an increasing need for rapid habitat evaluations, in the tropics, for conservation purposes. Biodiversity is often assessed by studying relatively well known groups, such as birds. But even birds can be difficult to watch and identify in tropical habitats. Mist-netting is relatively free of observer bias, and allows sampling effort to be standardised. We sampled birds by mist-netting in seven wooded habitats, covering a wide range of levels of anthropogenic disturbance, in the Cufada region, Guinea Bissau. Capture rates, species diversity (as estimated by rarefaction) and originality of the bird communities appeared to be higher in disturbed habitats. Primary forest had the lowest capture rate and the lowest diversity index. Originality was also very low in primary forest. We discuss several possible causes for these patterns and argue that surveys based exclusively on mist-netting can be severely misleading, when comparing bird communities in different habitats.