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Knowledge about the biodiversity of Baja California has been obtained mainly from natural protected areas (NPAs), while some unprotected natural areas have been poorly studied. The Sierra Cucapá in the northeast of the peninsula is one example. The objectives of this study are 1) to integrate existing knowledge of bird, mammal, and reptile diversity in Cucapá from public databases, citizen science platforms, and information generated from fieldwork, 2) to identify the spatial distribution of records in the study area, 3) to compare the composition of vertebrate species of Cucapá with that of NPAs of northern part of the peninsula, and 4) to assess the biological conservation value of Cucapá. We obtained records of 150 species of native vertebrates (102 birds, 34 mammals, and 14 reptiles) of which 10 species of birds, four mammals, and seven reptiles are included in a risk extinction category. The different sources of information contributed in a complementary way to the species inventories. Large areas in western and northern Cucapá lack records. The total difference in species composition between Cucapá and nearby NPAs ranged between 58 and 69% for birds, 61 and 79% for mammals, and 69 and 87% for reptiles. The species richness of Cucapá, its particular species composition, the presence of species in risk extinction categories, and the number and size of unexplored areas indicate that this area represents an opportunity for biological conservation in the northern part of the Peninsula. This work provides compelling data for the protection of Cucapá.

Background and Research AimsPower lines are one of the main anthropogenic causes of bird mortality on a global scale, but research is scarce in some countries with a high diversity of birds, such as Mexico. In this study, we assessed the impact of bird collisions and electrocutions with power lines on avian communities at three wind farms located in three different states in Mexico.MethodsCarcass searches were carried out at sites in Tamaulipas (4 months in 2021), Guanajuato (2 months in 2020, 4 months in 2021), and Oaxaca (55 months from 2014 to 2021).ResultsA total of 579 bird carcasses from 65 different species were recorded. The White-winged Dove ( Zenaida asiatica) was the most frequently found species (282 records) across the three sites. When considering the number of species identified per family, Icteridae had the highest number of species at the Oaxaca site, Columbidae and Passerelidae at the Tamaulipas site, and Anatidae at the Guanajuato site. At the order level, Passeriformes had the highest number of species at the Tamaulipas and Oaxaca sites, and Anseriformes in Guanajuato. Of the total species recorded, 12 are within some category of risk according to Mexican legislation and the IUCN Red List, and 18 are migratory species.ConclusionsOur results, together with evidence from previous studies, indicate that power lines represent one of the main causes of anthropogenic mortality in Mexico in terms of the number of affected bird species. Further research is urgently needed to explore the effect of power lines on bird populations in the country, particularly those at risk of extinction, and migratory species.Implications for ConservationThe high diversity of species found to be affected in this study highlights the wide-ranging impact of these structures and the need to implement mitigation strategies at the three sites studied, particularly for the most affected species, the White-winged Dove ( Zenaida asiatica).