Cauca Valley dry forests
Encyclopedia
The Cauca Valley dry forests is a tropical dry broadleaf forest
ecoregion
in Colombia
.
. The Cauca Valley is nestled between the Cordillera Occidental and Cordillera Central in the northern Andes
. These ranges create a rain shadow
, which makes the Cauca Valley drier than the surrounding forests. The Cauca Valley dry forests lie below 1000 meters elevation; the higher slopes are occupied by the distinct Cauca Valley montane forests.
(Cypseloides lemosi), Greyish Piculet
(Picumnus granadensis), Apical Flycatcher
(Myiarchus apicalis).
lies in the ecoregion.
Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests
The tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forest biome, also known as tropical dry forest, is located at tropical and subtropical latitudes. Though these forests occur in climates that are warm year-round, and may receive several hundred centimeters of rain per year, they have long dry seasons...
ecoregion
Ecoregion
An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...
in Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
.
Setting
The Cauca Valley dry forests occupies an area of 7300 square kilometres (2,818.5 sq mi), extending in a long, narrow strip along the Cauca RiverCauca River
The Cauca River is a river in Colombia that lies between the Occidental and Central cordilleras. Born in southwestern Colombia near the city of Popayán, it joins the Magdalena River near Pinillos in Bolívar Department, and the combined river eventually flows out into the Caribbean Sea. It has a...
. The Cauca Valley is nestled between the Cordillera Occidental and Cordillera Central in the northern Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
. These ranges create a rain shadow
Rain shadow
A rain shadow is a dry area on the lee side of a mountainous area. The mountains block the passage of rain-producing weather systems, casting a "shadow" of dryness behind them. As shown by the diagram to the right, the warm moist air is "pulled" by the prevailing winds over a mountain...
, which makes the Cauca Valley drier than the surrounding forests. The Cauca Valley dry forests lie below 1000 meters elevation; the higher slopes are occupied by the distinct Cauca Valley montane forests.
Flora
The main plant communities are open woodland, deciduous dry forest, evergreen dry forest, riparian forest, arid scrub and wetlands. The natural vegetation has been almost completely displaced by human activities, chiefly agriculture.Fauna
Three endemic or near-endemic birds found in the ecoregion are the White-chested SwiftWhite-chested Swift
The White-chested Swift is a species of swift in the Apodidae family.It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.Its natural habitat is heavily degraded former forest.-References:...
(Cypseloides lemosi), Greyish Piculet
Greyish Piculet
The Greyish Piculet is a species of bird in the Picidae family. It is endemic to Colombia.-Taxonomy:The Greyish Piculet is part of a superspecies with the Olivaceous Piculet, and may even be conspecific, or the same species. There are two described subspecies: P. g. antioquensis in the northern...
(Picumnus granadensis), Apical Flycatcher
Apical Flycatcher
The Apical Flycatcher is a species of bird in the Tyrannidae family.It is endemic to Colombia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, and heavily degraded former forest.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . ...
(Myiarchus apicalis).
Human use
The Cauca Valley dry forests have been mostly converted to agricultural fields. The city of CaliCalì
Calì, also written in English as Cali, is an Italian surname, widespread mainly in the Ionian side of Sicily.For the surname Calì is assumed the origin of the Greek word kalos , or from its Sanskrit root kali, "time."The surname refers to:...
lies in the ecoregion.