Aves en un humedal marino del sur de Chile

this study evaluates the influence of tidal cycle, time-of-day and season on the diversity of a bird assemblage in the marine wetland of lenca bay in reloncaví sound, southern chile. the study was carried out during four seasons, spring 2006, summer, fall and winter 2007. during all the study period, it was recorded 2502 birds belonging to 35 species and 19 families. the family laridae had the highest species richness. three species were the most relevant according to a relative abundance index for the assemblage of studied birds, larus dominicanus, larus maculipennis and cygnus melancorypha. the highest number of bird species and abundance was recorded during summer. the diversity values were high in low tide, due to the entry of birds belonging to the "agroecosystems" and systems of shrub vegetation adjacent to marine wetland, terrestrial species as milvago chimango, vanellus chilensis, theristicus melanopis, polyborus plancus and passerine birds. the diversity values obtained between the three daily period of observation shows no significant differences. finally we identified some human activities that threaten the conservation of birds in reloncaví sound.