Traditional scientific data vs. uncoordinated citizen science effort: A review of the current status and comparison of data on avifauna in Southern Brazil

Data generated by citizen scienceis particularly valuable in ecological research. If used discerningly with data from traditional scientific references, citizen sciencecan directly contribute to biogeography knowledge and conservation policies by increasing the number of species records in large geographic areas. Considering the current level of knowledge on south Brazilian avifauna, the large volume of data produced by uncoordinated citizen scienceeffort (CS), and the growing need for information on changes in abundance and species composition, we have compiled an updated, general list of bird species occurrence within the state of Parana. We have listed extinct, invasive and recently-colonizing species as well as indicator speciesof the state's vegetation types. We further assess the degree of knowledge of different regions within the state based on data from traditional scientific references, and the effect of including CS data in the same analysis. We have compiled data on 766 bird species, based on 70,346 individual records from traditional scientific references, and 79,468 from CS. Extinct and invasive species were identified by comparing their occurrence and abundance over a series of three time periods. Indicator speciesanalysis pointed to the existence of three areas with bird communities typically found within the state: the Semideciduous Tropical Forest, the Tropical Rainforestand the junction of Grassland and AraucariaMoist Forest. We used rarefactionto measure sampling sufficiency, and found that rarefactioncurves reached stabilization for all vegetation typesexcept in Savanna. We observed differences in the level of knowledge of bird biodiversity among the microregionsof the state, but including CS data, these differences were mitigated. The same effect was observed in other exploratory analyzes conducted here, emphasizing the fundamental importance of including CS data in macroecologicalstudies. Production of easily accessible data and its unrestricted availability makes CS a very important tool, especially in highly diverse regions as the Neotropics, as it can offer a more accurate picture of bird composition in comparison to the exclusive use of traditional scientific references.