Use of autonomous audio recordings for the rapid inventory of birds in the white-sand forests of the Peruvian Amazon

White-sand forests are patchily distributed ecosystems covering just 5% of Amazonia that host many specialist species of birds not found elsewhere, and these forests are threatened due to their small size and human exploitation of sand for construction projects. As a result, many species of birds that are white-sand specialists are at risk of extinction, and immediate conservation action is paramount for their survival. Our objective was to evaluate current survey methods and determine the relative effect of the size of patches of these forests on the presence or absence of white-sand specialists. Using point counts and autonomous recorders, we surveyed avian assemblages occupying patches of white-sand forest in the Peruvian Amazon in April 2018. Overall, we detected 126 species, including 21 white-sand forest specialists. We detected significantly more species of birds per survey point with autonomous recorders than point counts. We also found a negative relationship between avian species richness and distance from the edge of patches of white-sand forest, but a significant, positive relationship when only counting white-sand specialists. Although we detected more species with autonomous recorders, point counts were more effective for detecting canopydwelling passerines. Therefore, we recommend that investigators conducting surveys for rare and patchily distributed species in the tropics use a mixed-method approach that incorporates both autonomous recorders and visual observation. Finally, our results suggest that conserving large, continuous patches of white-sand forest may increase the likelihood of survival of species of birds that are white-sand specialis. Los bossues de arena blanca son ecosistemas distribuidos de manera irregular que cubren solo el 5% de la Amazonia que alberga muchas especies de aves especializadas que no se encuentran en otros lugares, y estos bosques están amenazados debido a su área pequeña y la explotación humana de la arena para proyectos de construction. Como resultado, muchas especies de aves que son especialistas de bosques de arena blanca están en riesgo de extinción, y la action de conservacion inmediata es fundamental para su supervivencia. Nuestro objetivo fue evaluar los métodos de estudio actuales y determinar el efecto relativo del tamaño de los parches de estos bosques en la presencia ausencia de aves especialistas de bosques de arena blanca. Utilizando recuentos de puntos registradores autonomos, examinamos los co