SUMMARY
Birds serve as biological indicators, providing important ecosystem services such as aiding in seed dispersal, pollination, decomposition, thus being important for understanding the ecosystem dynamics. This study proposed to characterize the community structure of bird assemblages in forest edge areas in the Atlantic forest. Monthly surveys were performed between October 2008 and September 2009. We used the methodology of fixed points to sample birds in a 10 minute period/point. A hundred eighteen bird species were registered, which were distributed in 99 genera and 45 families. The sample areas showed similar species diversity. We observed three endemic species of the Atlantic Forest, such as Veniliornis spilogaster, Trogon surrucura and Procnias nudicollis (endangered). There were significant differences in species richness among seasons (F1,2=12,332; gl=2; p<0,05), with the highest richness value in winter in area 1. Insectivores, granivores and omnivores were the most frequent guilds, but specialized bird species, such as frugivorous and trunk insectivorous, were most frequent in area 3, which is considered a well conserved area. The study areas represent a transition between native forest and open environments providing diverse important habitats for conservation of bird assemblages.