Associação entre pardais (Passer domesticus) e variáveis urbanas no município de Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul

Abstract

House Sparrows (Passer domesticus) populations have been negatively affected in various regions of the world because of urbanization process, although in Brazil the factors are still poorly understood. Through standardized sampling, this study aimed to verify the effects of an urbanization gradient on the abundance of House Sparrows in Campo Grande city, Central Brazil. Bird abundance (observation points) and the percentage of urbanized area (impermeable surface) were recorded in 61 hexagons of 16 ha each one. We recorded 897 individuals, with abundance ranging from 0 to 68 individuals/hexagons. We did not find a significant relationship between bird abundance and urbanizing gradient, however, we did detect more birds in areas that exhibit moderate to high gradient levels of urbanization than in those with low gradients. Even for a bird species considered common and adapted to urban conditions, cities can exhibit barriers to the establishment of House Sparrows. Simple architectural techniques such as the establishment of cracks in roofs or management of squares and vacant lots that allow the growth of grasses that produce seeds could contribute to these birds continuing to frequent urban