A dataset of birds from an area of Atlantic Forest in Santa Catarina, south Brazil

Abstract

The dataset includes data from bird surveys in a fragment of Atlantic Forest in east-central Santa Catarina, southern Brazil, between November 2019 and August 2020. We obtained data on bird richness and abundance using the point count method. We established three transects, “habitats A, B, and C,” with distances of 800 m, 400 m, and 200 m from the fragment border. We distributed six-point counts on each transect, approximately 150 meters apart. We conducted eight visits on each transect, totaling 144 sampling units of 20 minutes each. As a result, we obtained a total of 1622 contacts, distributed as follows: habitat A, 634 contacts; B, 503 contacts and C, 485 contacts. We recorded 142 species in 16 orders and 42 families. The species with the highest number of records were Basileuterus culicivorus (103 contacts), Sittasomus griseicapillus (64 contacts), Tachyphonus coronatus (52 contacts), Coereba flaveola (49 contacts) and Chiroxiphia caudata (46 contacts). Fifty-six species are endemic to the Atlantic Forest, and 21 are threatened with extinction, protected by Brazilian federal and state laws. The data are important for bird distribution, biogeography, and conservation studies, as well as to support the assessment of human activities that impact the environment.