Riparian habitats provide refuge for unique plant and animal assemblages. Many riparian habitats in arid ecosystems have lost most of their vegetation and associated fauna, due to a reduction of their original extension by land transformation. Using a case study from the subtropical desert of Peru, we quantified avian richness, diversity and abundance of resident species in twelve sites with a varying degree of anthropogenic impact, using an anthropogenic index (A.I.) as a proxy of alteration of the original vegetation. Sites with lower values of A.I. were those with the highest percentage of riparian cover. We found that species richness was higher at sites with a higher percentage of riparian vegetation (low A.I.), although bird diversity did not differ between sites. Five bird species, mostly insectivorous passerines, showed higher abundances at sites with low A.I., suggesting that less riparian cover is associated with lower abundances of such species. Despite its conspicuous presence, the Slender‐billed Finch, an endemic species recorded at all sites, was found at lower abundances when riparian vegetation was scarcer. Only one species showed the opposite trend, the Rufous‐collared sparrow, a dietary generalist songbird, which was more abundant at sites with higher A.I. Other 20 species analysed showed no trend. Moreover, several species had few records precluding a formal statistical analysis. This study offers valuable data on the negative impact that the loss of native vegetation could have on riparian communities of subtropical ecosystems, for which no other long‐term data exist. The protection, management and restoration of riparian strips should be a priority for bird conservation in human‐modified environments, particularly for those in developing countries.

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与鸟类专家减少相关的河岸植被丧失：以亚热带沙漠为例

河岸栖息地为独特的动植物组合提供了避难所。干旱生态系统中的许多河岸生境丧失了大部分植被和相关动物群，这是由于土地转化减少了它们的原始延伸。通过对秘鲁亚热带沙漠地区的一个案例研究，我们使用人为指数（AI）作为原始植被变化的代名词，对十二个具有不同程度的人为影响的地点的鸟类丰富度，多样性和丰富度进行了量化。AI值较低的站点是河岸覆盖率最高的站点。我们发现，河岸植被百分比较高（AI较低）的地点的物种丰富度较高，尽管不同地点之间的鸟类多样性没有差异。五种鸟类，主要是食虫性雀形目 在AI较低的地区显示出较高的丰度，表明河岸覆盖率降低与此类物种的丰度相关。尽管存在显眼的地方，但在河岸植被稀缺的情况下，发现了在所有地点记录的特有物种Slender-billed Finch。只有一种物种显示出相反的趋势，红褐色领麻雀，一种饮食通配的鸣禽，在具有较高AI的地方更为丰富。分析的其他20种物种则没有趋势。此外，几个物种的记录很少，无法进行正式的统计分析。这项研究提供了宝贵的数据，说明了原生植被的丧失可能对亚热带生态系统的河岸群落造成的负面影响，而没有其他长期数据。保护，