Architecture plant analysis for insectivorous birds in a Colombian Neotropical dry forest

In a degraded ecosystem, which is currently under restoration, detailed analysis of their vegetation structure and descriptions of its association with bird species are very useful for its habitat management. Architecture analysis is a visual method for describing vegetation and plant structure as result of their growth strategy. Based on this method, habitat offer for three insectivorous bird species Myrmeciza longipes (White-bellied Antbird), Thamnophilus doliatus (Barred Antshrike), and Synallaxis albescens (Pale- breasted Spinetail) was analyzed as part of their population analysis and habitat quality evaluation in a fragment of tropical dry forest of 11 079 hectares, Huila, Colombia. By mean of counts and also through the secondary information collected, we gauged how these bird species use the different vegetation strata. Taking into account that trees with more perches increase insectivorous birds' forage that more perches built on more bird's refuges and also that more crossing perches make up more forks for these species' nests. In 186 plots of a tropical dry forest zone we determined that the area was dominated by seven architecture models which were divided into three groups according to their potential offer of habitat resources for the three species: 1) architectural models Roux, Petit, and Pervost that offer high quality 2) architectural models Noriba and Nozeran with intermediate quality; and 3) architectural models Mc Clure and Hottum, with very low quality.