EDP Foz Tua: Terrestrial Birds, Winter (point counts) - Ecological Monitoring Program [2011-2017]

Study Extent

The data were collected within a 5-km buffer around the Tua lower valley (Northeast Portugal), up to 45 km from the mouth, in the municipalities of Alijó, Carrazeda de Ansiães, Murça, Mirandela and Vila Flor.

Sampling

Sampling was designed to cover the main habitats for terrestrial birds along the lower Tua valley affected by the Foz-Tua dam, including the future reservoir area. In the first two years (2011 and 2012), a total of 28 point counts distributed along the valley was used, some of which were duplicated as they included more than one habitat type. A final grid of 60 sampling points was established in 2013 and used afterwards. All plots were sampled once or, in some cases, twice per winter. in the early morning or late afternoon. Each sampling event had 5 minutes, of duration in which all birds seen or heard in two bands of 50m around the point were recorded. Species identification and assessment of age and sex (when possible) were made “in loco”, with the help of appropriate field guides.

Quality Control

All identifications were performed by qualified technicians.

Method steps

1. To be completed

The taxonomic coverage of this dataset spans 1 phylum, 1 class, 12 orders, 32 families, 56 genus and 70 species.

1. Accipitriformes
   rank: order
2. Bucerotiformes
   rank: order
3. Caprimulgiformes
   rank: order
4. Charadriiformes
   rank: order
5. Columbiformes
   rank: order
6. Coraciiformes
   rank: order
7. Galliformes
   rank: order
8. Passeriformes
   rank: order
9. Piciformes
   rank: order
10. Pelecaniformes
    rank: order
11. Podicipediformes
    rank: order
12. Suliformes
    rank: order
13. Accipitridae
    rank: family
14. Upupidae
    rank: family
15. Caprimulgidae
    rank: family
16. Scolopacidae
    rank: family
17. Columbidae
    rank: family
18. Alcedinidae
    rank: family
19. Phasianidae
    rank: family
20. Aegithalidae
    rank: family
21. Alaudidae
    rank: family
22. Certhiidae
    rank: superfamily
23. Corvidae
    rank: family
24. Emberizidae
    rank: family
25. Estrildidae
    rank: family
26. Fringillidae
    rank: family
27. Hirundinidae
    rank: family
28. Motacillidae
    rank: family
29. Muscicapidae
    rank: family
30. Paridae
    rank: family
31. Passeridae
    rank: family
32. Phylloscopidae
    rank: family
33. Prunellidae
    rank: family
34. Regulidae
    rank: family
35. Scotocercidae
    rank: family
36. Sittidae
    rank: family
37. Sturnidae
    rank: family
38. Sylviidae
    rank: family
39. Troglodytidae
    rank: family
40. Turdidae
    rank: family
41. Picidae
    rank: family
42. Ardeidae
    rank: family
43. Podicipedidae
    rank: family
44. Phalacrocoracidae
    rank: family

The data were collected within a 5-km buffer around the valley of the River Tua (Northeast Portugal), up to 45 km from the mouth, in the municipalities of Alijó, Carrazeda de Ansiães, Murça, Vila Flor and Mirandela.