Winter Surveys of Forest-Dwelling Neotropical Migrant and Resident Birds in Three Regions of Cuba

We used mist nets and fixed-radius point counts to survey the distribution and relative abundance of Neotropical migrant and resident birds at 18 sites, six in each of three regions, in Cuba, representing six forest types. Eighty-two species and one hybrid were recorded, of which 32 species (39.0%) were Neotropical migrants. Strong differences were observed in the numbers of migrant and resident individuals and species detected, and the proportions of migrant individuals and species among regions, but results obtained by mist nets and point counts often differed. Combined results suggest that the western montane region contains the most resident species, and Cayo Coco in eastern Cuba holds the most migrant species. Relative abundances of migrants and residents were compared among forest types within regions. Based on mist net captures, the number of migrant and resident individuals and species at each site were significantly positively correlated. A Principal Components Analysis correlating vegetation structure characteristics with mist net captures suggested that residents occupy a broader spectrum of vegetation structure types than migrants which favor sites with structure typical of secondary forests. We observed habitat segregation among dichromatic migrant warblers both among forest types within regions and among regions within forest types. Generally, Cuba supports greater numbers of migrant individuals and species than other sites in the Caribbean. Compared to the Yucatan Peninsula and Belize, Cuba supports fewer migrant species, but they account for a greater proportion of all species and a lower proportion of all individuals. The efficacy and biases of mist nets and point counts are discussed.