Avian community structure and habitat use of Polylepis forests along an elevation gradient DataBase

In 2014-2015, we studied bird communities and 19 associated local and landscape attributes within five forested glacial valleys within the Cordillera Blanca and Huascaran National Park, Peru. Birds were surveyed in dry (May-August) and wet (January-April) seasons at 130 points distributed along an elevational gradient (3,300-4,700 masl) and analyzed using Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA). A total of 50 species of birds, including 13 species of high conservation concern, were associated with four basic habitat types: (1) <i>Polylepis sericea</i> forests at low elevations, (2) <i>P. weberbaueri</i> forests at high elevations, (3) Puna grassland and (4) shrublands.