South Peru

he Peruvian Andes are of remarkable natural  value and are viewed as part of one of the most  important global biodiversity hotspots – the  Tropical Andes (Myers et al. 2000). The diver- sity of birds here is also one of the highest in the world, with many threatened, endemic and range-restricted taxa (Fjeldså & Krabbe 1990; Stotz et
al. 1996; Stattersfi eld et al. 1998; Myers et al. 2000). The eastern slopes of the Andes in Peru are of special importance for avifauna, as they are covered with extremely species-rich mountain forests of different types. The western slopes, infl uenced by cold climate from the ocean, with arid and semi-arid habitats prevailing, host far
fewer species than the other side of the Andes (Fjeldså & Krabbe 1990; Stotz et al. 1996). The dominant habitat of the western slope of the high Peruvian Andes is puna – a distinct vegetation type of alpine-like grassland. This open dry en-vironment consists mainly of grasses, lichens, mosses and cacti, with some scattered shrubs and small wetlands and peatbogs – bofedales (Stotz et al. 1996; Telleria et al. 2006). Animal diversity in the puna is low but the level of endemism is high, with many species restricted to this zone, including birds; there are many range-restricted and habitat-restricted species (Vuilleumier 1986; Stotz et al. 1996; Stattersfi eld et al. 1998). The puna has been investigated rarely up to now, as compared with the forest habitats of the eastern slopes of the Andes; the southern part of Peru is especially poorly known. This paper presents the results of an ornithological survey in the open high-altitude habitats of Canyon Colca in southern Peru. Recently this site was proposed for protection as a national park, on the basis of its high geological, cultural and natural values (Gałaś & Paulo 2008). The existing information on the natural resources of Canyon Colca is very scarce, and in great demand. The birds of this area have not been studied in detail recently (but see Hughes 1987). The aim of this study was to make a pilot survey of the birds of the Canyon
Colca area in a range of habitats, with special emphasis on threatened, range-restricted and habitat-restricted species