Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad 82: 515-537, 2011 An annotated list of the avifauna of Palenque, Chiapas Lista comentada de la avifauna de Palenque, Chiapas Michael A. Patten* 1, 2, Héctor Gómez de Silva3, Ana C. Ibarra4 and Brenda D. Smith-Patten1,5 1Oklahoma Biological Survey, University of Oklahoma, 111 E. Chesapeake Street Norman, Oklahoma 73019, USA. 2Department of Zoology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma 73019, USA. 3Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510 México, D.F., México. 4Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida 33124, USA. 5Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, Norman, Oklahoma 73072, USA. *Correspondent:
[email protected] Abstract. The primary lowland rainforest around the Mayan ruins of Palenque, in the state of Chiapas, Mexico, has been the focus of much study. The second growth and the mosaic of pasture and farmland surrounding the protected area of Palenque National Park also have received some attention by researchers and visitors. Until now though, a complete avifaunal list for this area had not been compiled. In our judgment, 353 species have been recorded reliably, a hundred more than previously reported. An additional 27 species have been reported at the site on multiple occasions but for which we feel there is no definitive evidence. There are 202 regular breeders, most of them resident, and 87 migrants that winter or pass through regularly. Relative capture rates for understorey birds indicate that Phaethornis longirostris and Henicorhina leucosticta are most often caught, and some rarely seen birds, such a Geotrygon montana, are less rare than previously thought. In a state in which habitat destruction is routine, in which national parks are increasingly becoming forested islands, we need baseline data such as these to get a clearer idea of what occurs there if we are to understand anthropogenic effects on forests.