Birds of the Hernando Ruiz de Alarcón Botanical Garden in Taxco, Guerrero, Mexico

Abstract

The Hernando Ruiz de Alarcón Botanical Garden – Taxco (JBHRA-T), belonging to the Center for Teaching for Foreigners Taxco-UNAM (CEPE), is located in the northern region of the state of Guerrero, Mexico. Surrounded mainly by urban areas, this conservation site is situated within Juniperus forest vegetation. Given the lack of information on bird species present at this site in the city of Taxco, monthly surveys were conducted from October 2020 to September 2021 with the aim of documenting and listing the bird species present in the JBHRA-T. We recorded 50 bird species belonging to 24 families and 10 orders, with Trochilidae and Tyrannidae being the best represented families, each with five species. Among the documented species, eight are endemic, two are quasi-endemic, and one is an invasive exotic species. According to NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010, one species is classified as threatened and two species as Subject to Special Protection. This study provides the first record of bird presence in the city of Taxco, documenting the diversity found in this area, which is considered one of the last remaining patches of vegetation that provides refuge for birds within the urban zone of the city.