Preliminary record of seabirds in the bay of Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico

Abstract

Seabirds play an important role in ecosystems, are
indicators of habitat quality, act as seed dispersers,
pollinators, or in the biological control of insect
populations. Therefore, it is important to design and
implement ecological studies, assess the
anthropogenic impacts that affect them and predict
future changes in the distribution, abundance and
diversity of communities. The present work was
carried out in order to know the diversity of seabirds
present in the beach "Las Hamacas" in the bay of
Acapulco, Guerrero, in order to determine
ecological indexes of the community. The
ornitofauna present in the study area shows an
observed abundance of continental species in
comparison to other nearby places, the species that
showed greater presence were the seagull (Larus
heermanni) and the brown pelican (Pelecanus
occidentalis); The common frigate (Fragata
magnificens) appeared sporadically; The sea
swallow (Sterna antillarum) arrived in the morning
to feed, since most of the day was not observed. In
the case of the pigeon (Columba livia) it was
frequently detected in the study area, since the
bathers and fishermen who were in the area gave
them to eat various foods.