Dusting-off the file: A review of knowledge on urban ornithology in Latin America

The accelerated rate of urban growth has become of major environmental concern, especially in less developed countries where urban development is expected to rise. Although urban ornithological studies from Latin America have increased in the last decades, they have not been previously synthesized. In this review we gathered all the available information regarding urban bird studies from the American continent, excluding the US, Canada, and Alaska, summarized their results, compared them with previous knowledge from other tropical and temperate zones, and discuss possible future urban ornithological trends. We compiled a total of 84 papers published in different languages and journals from 1974 to 2009. Several main urban ornithological patterns reported in the gathered set of publications agree with those previously reported in studies performed in other tropical and temperate zones. However, others differ greatly, and/or cannot be compared due to the lack of information from urban Latin America. We believe that urban ornithology is a promising field in Latin America, as there is still an important amount of missing knowledge that should be considered in order to strengthen generalized urban ornithological and ecological basis. The latter could aid in the development of urban management, conservation, and planning strategies that could result in the establishment of sustainable cities in Latin America.

Research highlights
► Although ornithological studies in Latin American urban areas date since the 1970s, and have been published constantly in the past decade, there is still a sense of lacking urban bird knowledge in Latin America.
► In this review, we gathered 84 urban ornithology publications carried out in 12 Latin American countries, showing a ∼30 year lag in relation to research carried out in temperate zones.
► Many of the previously reported urban ornithological patterns agree with those recorded in Latin American cities, however others differ, enriching our comprehension on the way that birds respond to urbanization.
► Although a great amount of ornithological research is currently carried out in Latin American cities, several topics are lacking, including demographic patterns, physiological responses, behavioral ecology, exotic–native bird interactions, biotic homogenization, genetics, and adaptive processes.