Avifauna

The avifauna of Auyan tepui is diverse, and has been surveyed in detail since the initial exploration of the plateaus with the Phelps expeditions in the late 1930s. To a large extent, the avifauna of the tepui is non-endemic due to the fact that birds are capable of complex dispersal and seasonal migrations, unaffected by topographic discontinuity (they can fly). However, the patterns of bird dispersal and presence on Auyan indicates species richness, potential for seed dispersal, ecosystem health, and a variety of other complex environmental factors. In short, birds are well surveyed but their biotic interactions on Auyan are not well documented.

While Biokryptos does not currently have the resources to conduct extensive ornithological surveys of Auyan, we do encounter birds during field work, and we do capture them on our camera traps. Our focus at the moment is on creating a map of birds we have encountered on Auyan, to be of assistance to researchers and students investigating bird distribution across the Guiana Highlands.