Puna grasslands in the Andes of  Cusco-Peru. Photo: Nestor Ccacya.

Puna Grasslands

The puna grasslands occupy the higher mountain slopes and plains of the Andes from northern Peru south to northern Argentina and Chile. Puna grasslands are found generally above 3,500 meters. They are largely dry grasslands but vary in floristic composition from pure grass to mixed grass and shrubs, largely depending on the altitude, locations, and humidity. In Peru and Bolivia, the dominant vegetation types are bunch grasses of the genus Festuca sp. and Calamogrostis sp. Also, characteristic flora of the puna grasslands includes frost resistant cushion plants of the genus Azorella, Distichia, Pycnophillum, and Ochychloe.

Puna grassland mixed with shrubs in Moquegua-Peru. Photo: Jose Huaroto.

 

Puna grasslands in the Andes of  Cusco-Peru. Photo: Nestor Ccacya.

See more Neotropical bird habitats.

Reference:

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Neotropical Birds: Ecology and Conservation. Stotz Douglas F., Fitzpatrick John W., Parker Theodore A. III, and Moskovits Debra K. University of Chicago Press, 1996.