Ornitología Neotropical (E-Journal)
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NEW INFORMATION ON THE COURTSHIP FEEDING BEHAVIOR OF COTINGAS OF THE GENUS CARPORNIS FROM BRAZIL
Get PDFBirds have varied pre-reproduction behaviors such as courtship feeding behavior, which is the delivery of a nuptial gift to the female by the male. The family Cotingidae comprises Neotropical birds that perform some pre-reproduction behaviors, but the genus Carpornis, endemic to the Atlantic Forest, is limited. The only possible courtship feeding behavior observed for the berryeaters was in 1979. Based on this scenario, we present descriptions of this behavior of two Brazilian species of the genus Carpornis. The observations were made in the states of São Paulo and Bahia, where males were observed delivering nuptial gifts to females. Field data show a certain pattern of behavior, mainly for C. cucullata, but further studies are needed, particularly for C. melanocephala, which, in addition to having less known about its reproduction, is also threatened
THE CONTRIBUTION OF CITIZEN SCIENCE TO THE KNOWLEDGE ON THE FEEDING HABITS OF ARA ARARAUNA IN AN URBAN AREA OF CENTRAL WESTERN BRAZIL
No full textWe aimed to analyze the food resources consumed by Ara ararauna (Linnaeus, 1758) in the urban area of Campo Grande, from the photographic records released on the WikiAves© platform by the professional and amateur photographers. We retrieved 36 records of A. ararauna feeding, while we identified 16 species of plants in the diet of A. ararauna. Fruits and seeds were the most consumed plant parts, and 75% of the species diet was composed of native plants. As there is no prior information available on the diet of this species in the urban area of Campo Grande, the records released on the WikiAves© platform helped us to answer several important questions regarding its feeding habits. We highlight the importance of planting native species in urban afforestation, as well as the maintenance of urban parks and green areas, to maintain the populations of A. ararauna in the city
FIRST REPORT OF NECTAR ROBBING BY SWORD-BILLED HUMMINGBIRDS ENSIFERA ENSIFERA
Get PDFA growing number of hummingbird species are known to practice nectar robbing. Hummingbirds that rob nectar tend to have short bills and to rob flowers with long, tubular corollas that prevent the birds from accessing nectar through its openings. We document that Sword-billed Hummingbirds Ensifera ensifera, which have the longest bills of any hummingbird species, are secondary nectar robbers on flowers of the red angel’s trumpet Brugmansia sanguinea, which have long tubular corollas and are regularly pollinated by Sword-billed Hummingbirds. When obtaining nectar through the floral opening of B. sanguinea, Sword-billed Hummingbirds' heads may be completely enveloped by the flower, severely limiting their vision. Sword-billed Hummingbirds might be at a lower risk of predation when they rob nectar than when they insert their heads into the floral opening. Thus, nectar robbing in this species might function to reduce predation risk, although we have no data to support this speculation
ALTA DIVERSIDAD DE AVES EN HUMEDALES COSTEROS PEQUEÑOS: EL CASO DE UN HOTSPOT DEL NEOTRÓPICO
Get PDFWetlands in the developing world are disappearing due to bad management and urban growth, threatening the birdlife that inhabits them. The Huacho-Hualmay-Carquin wetland is located on Peru’s central coast, it has recently begun to be researched. Yet, it’s already losing ground to urbanization and public beachside development. 12 bird censuses (with two simultaneous transects: “supralittoral” and “urban”) were conducted; bird diversity and its correlation with 2 thermal-related oceanic parameters of the South Pacific (SST and ICEN) were calculated. Seventy-eight bird species were found, with abundances as high as 19,000 individuals. Species richness and abundance were higher in the supralittoral transect, while diversity was higher in the urban transect. We found correlations between the alpha diversity and abundance with both the SST and ICEN. This ecosystem exhibits high bird diversity and demonstrates the importance of studying small wetlands, as means of developing better management and conservation strategies in the region
OBSERVATIONS ON THE PARENTAL CARE OF THE ORANGE-BELLIED EUPHONIA (EUPHONIA XANTHOGASTER)
No full textWe present the first observations of parental care behaviors of the Orange-bellied Euphonia (Euphonia xanthogaster) using 246 hours of recorded observations from two nests found in February of 2002 and 2006 in tropical montane forest near the Yanayacu Biological Station in Cosanga, Ecuador. Recording at one nest began with the onset of incubation and continued through fledging while the other was recorded after hatch and through fledging. Observations of male and female attendance at the nest were used to analyze visit frequency and timing, duration, and differences in male and female investment in the reproductive effort. Incubation and brooding were done by the female while both adults shared feeding responsibilities. The first descriptions of nestling growth are reported and egg measurements from three Euphonia xanthogaster quitensis and three Euphonia xanthogaster brevirostris nests are also presented
TEMPORAL DYNAMICS IN PANTANAL HUMMINGBIRD ASSEMBLAGES IS TRIGGERED BY FLOOD PULSE
Get PDFAbstract ∙ Hummingbirds (Trochilidae) are highly specialized New World birds that depend on nectar as their major food source. In response to seasonal food limitations, many trochilids develop dispersal and long-distance migration patterns, but these patterns are understudied for many continental South American species. In this study, conducted in the Brazilian Pantanal, we investigated the movement patterns of hummingbirds in a highly variable environment, where an annual flood pulse leads to four distinctive seasonal periods (high water, receding water, dry period, and rising water). Our objective was to verify how these four periods affected the hummingbird community according to habitat occupation in savannas or forests. This study was conducted in the northeastern Pantanal of Mato Grosso, Brazil (16° 39'S, 56°47'W, 119–131 m a.s.l.), covering two annual inundation periods (2014–2016). Data were collected using mist net sampling. Two migrant and seven resident species were identified. The results indicated significant differences in hummingbird species richness and abundance between habitats; savanna habitats were the richest habitats during rainy seasons (rising and high water). Higher hummingbird abundance in these seasonal periods was seemingly related to higher food availability since these seasons corresponded to the main flowering period of ornithophilous plants and other angiosperms
IDENTIFICATION OF THE BIRD SPECIES THAT DISPERSE NATIVE SEEDS OF THE CHACO SERRANO FOREST IN A NATURE RESERVE OF CENTRAL ARGENTINA
No full textBirds are capable of linking ecosystems throughout the dispersion of seeds. Such a role turns them into key elements to mitigate habitat fragmentation effects. However, it has been postulated that only legitimate dispersers may provide this service. In Vaquerías Nature Reserve located in a fragmented landscape of the Chaco Serrano forest, we captured birds between January and April of 2017 and 2018, retrieved whole seeds from their feces, and evaluated their germination to identify the assembly of bird species that serve as seed dispersers in the area. From feces of nine bird species, we retrieved over one hundred seeds of thirteen native plant species. Based on the number of whole seeds recovered from feces and their germinability, we recognized Elaenia parvirostris, Turdus amaurochalinus, Poospiza whitti, Zonotrichia capensis, and Saltator aurantiirostris as seed dispersers of native plants in the reserve. It is worth noting that not all of these species are considered frugivorous and seed dispersers. For example, Zonotrichia capensis and Saltator aurantiirostris have been previously classified as granivorous, and traditionally considered seed predators disregarding their potential role of seed dispersers. However, our results indicate that they may act as legitimate dispersers of some native species. This study highlights the need to further evaluate the functional role as seed dispersers of several bird species that include fruits in their diet, considering not only fruit handling and consumption but also information regarding seed viability and germination
PRIMER REGISTRO DE UNA ABERRACIÓN MARRÓN PARA EL CORMORÁN NEOTROPICAL NANNOPTERUM BRASILIANUM DE MÉXICO
Get PDFEn esta nota, reportamos un caso de aberración del plumaje en el cormorán neotropical Nannopterum brasilianum. Se registró la presencia de un color atípico en el plumaje de un individuo observado en un humedal del norte de México. El ave presentaba una aberración marrón, en la que el color negro original fue sustituido por tonos marrón claro y beige pálido. Observamos el ave alimentándose junto a otros cormoranes con una coloración normal y no mostró comportamientos diferentes. La documentación de fenotipos aberrantes es importante para determinar su frecuencia y patrones geográficos de aparición, especialmente en aves acuáticas con distribuciones geográficas extensas como N. brasilianum. Esta observación representa el primer reporte de aberración de plumaje marrón en esta especie
MORPHOMETRIC TRAITS AND THEIR ASSOCIATION WITH SEX IN THE KEEL-BILLED TOUCAN RAMPHASTOS SULFURATUS
Get PDFSexing monomorphic birds is essential for reproduction in conservation programs. In ramphastids (toucans) species, males have longer beaks than females, making beak morphometry potentially useful for sexing. In this study, we measured the following traits: curved beak length, total culmen length, straight beak length, curved and straight length of the ventral line of the gnathotheca, beak width, lateral area of the rhinotheca, and cloacal opening in 44 Keel-billed Toucans, as well as previously reported morphometric data from 17 additional individuals. Measurements were obtained using two methods (manual and image processing software), and the reliability between the two methods was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Individuals of unknown sex were sexed via PCR tests. The ICC showed poor reliability between the two measurement methods, so we only used manual measurements for comparisons between the sexes. We used GLMMs to determine whether the morphometric traits we measured could be used to determine sex in keel-billed toucans. In addition, we evaluated GLMMs to determine which morphometric trait was the strongest predictor of sex in this species. Beak length was longer in adult males than in females. The GLMMs indicated that beak traits associated with sex in this species are beak curved length, beak straight length, straight length of the ventral line of the gnathotheca, and total culmen length. The straight length of the ventral line of the gnathotheca was the strongest predictor of sex in the Keel-billed Toucan. Unlike previous research, the development of GLMMs allows us to determine the probability of a toucan’s sex based on continuous variables, facilitating sexing and allowing us to evaluate the reliability of the estimation of the sexing of each toucan. This method is an alternative for situations where other sexing methodologies cannot be performed
BREEDING ECOLOGY, NESTING HABITAT AND THREATS TO A BLACK-AND-CHESTNUT EAGLE SPIZAETUS ISIDORI POPULATION IN THE MONTANE FORESTS OF CENTRAL PERU
Get PDFThe Black-and-chestnut Eagle Spizaetus isidori is an endangered and little-known top predator of South American montane forests. To better understand the breeding ecology and threats of this eagle, we studied several pairs between 2017 and 2022 in the central Andes of Peru. We recorded 62 adults, one immature, and 36 juveniles in 36 territories. These territories were in mountainous areas (altitudinal range 690–3,810 m a.s.l.), widely covered by montane forests (43.8–99.7% cover), and secondarily by open land (0.3–56.2% cover), far from urban settlements (1.3–27.1 km). Nesting sites (N = 15) were at medium altitudes (1,330–2,330 m a.s.l.) in steep hillsides or ravines (15–55°), having no preferential cardinal orientation, and relatively close to permanent water courses (20–800 m), open areas (30–930 m) and sites with human activity (120–2,200 m). Nests (N = 15) were placed at the top of tall (28–40 m) and thick-stemmed (DBH range 0.53–1.52 m) emergent trees of nine genera, with Ficus and Juglans being the most used. Incubation and brood-rearing occurred during the dry season (Mar–Nov). The wooded slopes where the eagles nested are being replaced by crops and livestock pastures, causing an estimated loss of 218.2 km2 of forest cover in our study area (5,056 km2) during the last 20 years. We detected human persecution in 55.5% of the territories, resulting in 26 juveniles, four adults, two immatures, and nine unaged eagles killed. Preventing the local extinctions of these eagles will require long-term population monitoring, improving knowledge of its ecology, mitigation of human-eagle conflict, development of education programs, and strengthening of land use inspection