Birds of Valle del Cauca, Colombia

Abstract

The avifauna of the department of Valle del Cauca, Colombia, has been one of the best studied biological groups in Colombia since the late 19th century. As a result of these information compilations, estimates of species richness range between 725 and 1025 species. We collected information on bird records from different sources and obtained a list of 989 confirmed bird species for the department and 13 species that were listed as potentially present. We found eight introduced species that have no published records or are anecdotal in Colombia. Future expeditions or investigations should focus on filling the information gaps on birds in the Garrapatas river canyon, the area south of Buenaventura and the Central mountain range.