| The Venezuelan Llanos cover 275,000 km2 and has long been recognized as important habitat for waterbirds, but information is sparse concerning the rich raptor community. I conducted raptor surveys primarily in the Southwestern and Western Llanos during 2000–2002. I detected 28 species representing 19 genera of raptors. Of the 14 most common species, 6 differed (P < 0.05) in the mean number of individuals detected per route in the wet versus dry seasons and 8 differed between the Southwestern and Western Llanos. Of the 14 rare species, 6 were detected in only 1 season. Overall, the Llanos contains 52% of all raptor species in Venezuela, and more than 70% of kites, buteos, and subbuteos. The Southwestern and Western regions of the Llanos appear to act as a dynamic spatial and temporal ecosystem supporting a rich raptor community of wetland dependent and terrestrial species. |
