Breeding Season Home Range and Migration of the Agami Heron (<i>Agamia agami</i>)

Stier, Anna; Ricardou, Alizée; Uriot, Sylvain; Pracontal, Nyls de; Kushlan, James A.

doi:10.1675/063.040.0310

Cited by 6 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…In French Guiana it was determined that a nesting colony of A. agami should be supported by thousands or perhaps tens of thousands of hectares of natural habitat for foraging. This information suggests the importance of protecting not only the colony site, but also a representative amount of habitat (Stier et al, 2017). This assumption is supported by records of Kushlan & Hines (2016), who found that nesting individuals have wide ranges of dispersion that exceed 200 km 2 and adults feeding their young did not return daily.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 66%

“…The newly found colony of Agamia agami in Tambococha is smaller than the one registered in Mexico, with 170 nests (Correa, 2017), as well as the colony of Marais de Kaw-Roura Natural Reserve in French Guiana, with 1000 nests (Stier et al, 2017), considered the largest one in South America. However, the colony of Tambococha is similar to the one in Costa Rica, with 73 nests (Alvarado, 2006), larger than the one reported in Brazil, with 26 nests (Do Nascimento, 1990), and the one reported in Tambopata Natural Reserve, with 33 individuals recorded in the last monitoring year 2013/2014 (AIDER, 2014;www.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 75%

“…In addition, it is a farther step to know its regional migratory movements and its relationship with other nearby colonies such as those of Peru and Brazil. According to Stier et al (2017) the study in French Guiana suggests that a colony may possibly be composed of different populations that congregate to nest, and then are redistributed regionally. For this reason, it is crucial to establish annual monitoring of the Agami Heron in Tambococha, including a study of reproduction, demography, migration patterns and population genetics.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There is no confirmed information about the local and migratory movements of this species (Kushlan & Hancok, 2005). Only one study, in Marais de Kaw-Roura Natural Reserve, in French Guiana, tracked eight individuals with telemetry, and found that after reproduction they moved between 280 and 1250 km in different directions along the Atlantic Coast of Venezuela, Guiana, Surinam and Brazil (Stier et al, 2017). This species is extremely sensitive to habitat disturbance, and is classified as Vulnerable (BirdLife International, 2017; www.birdlife.org).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Until 2015, five countries with nesting localities were known: Costa Rica, Venezuela, Brazil, French Guiana, Trinidad and Tobago, (Abella-Gutierrez & Lopez-Conlon, 2008;do Nascimento, 1990;Marin A, 1989;Ramo & Busto, 1982;Reynoud & Kushlan, 2004;Stier & Kushlan, 2015;Stier et al, 2017). In 2017, a new nesting locality was reported in Mexico, the northernmost nesting locality known for this species (Correa et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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New nesting locality of the Agami Heron, Agamia agami (Pelecaniformes: Ardeidae) in Ecuador

Ortiz-Galarza

Garzón-Santomaro

2019

Biota Colombiana

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The Agami heron, Agamia agami, is a rare species of the Neotropics, and even though its distribution is large, little is known about the sites where it congregates to nest. We report a new nesting site, which is the eighth reported site in the Neotropics, located in Tambococha, Yasuní National Park, Ecuador. We estimate that it is occupied by approximately 140 individuals, based on the 70 nests counted and considering the monogamous behavior of this species for at least one year. The discovery of this nesting colony is important to determine more precisely the distribution area of this species, and, in the future, monitor populations and develop studies of population genetics, migration, and behavioral movements as a basis to implement a conservation strategy for the Agami Heron in Ecuador.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 66%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 75%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

New nesting locality of the Agami Heron, Agamia agami (Pelecaniformes: Ardeidae) in Ecuador

Ortiz-Galarza

Garzón-Santomaro

2019

Biota Colombiana

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Evaluation of nest habitat, site preferences and architecture of the critically endangered White-bellied HeronArdea insignisin Bhutan

Acharja

2019

Bird Conservation International

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Summary This research evaluated the nesting habitat, nest-site preferences, and nest architecture of the critically endangered White-bellied Heron Ardea insignis in Bhutan. There are fewer than 60 wild birds left in the world, distributed in Bhutan, India, and Myanmar with fewer than five active breeding pairs in Bhutan. From 2003 to 2018, 20 successful and two unsuccessful nests were located from which at least 76 juveniles were expected to have fledged. The population in Bhutan has remained at 22–30 individuals for the last decade. Site-specific data were collected from 22 nests, and additional vegetation and environmental data were collected from 14 nests and random sites. We used 20-m diameter circular plots to evaluate the site preferences. Ground vegetation, litter and rock cover were evaluated using four 1-m2 quadrats in both nest and random sites. Nesting habitat was analysed to compare characteristics of nesting sites to random sites. Our results suggest that the White-bellied Heron builds a simple platform nest within average distance of 74 m from water bodies on the tallest isolated trees at an average height of 18.3 m on an elevated site with a clear overview of surroundings and are sensitive to even slight disturbance. Our results also suggest that the bird has a preference for an east-facing aspect at an average slope of approximately 40° between the altitudes of 400–1,450 m. Our observations also suggest that the bird has abandoned all nesting sites used prior to 2015, and the frequency of nest re-use has decreased. Protecting each nest site from hazards, avoiding disturbance, maintaining safe feeding habitats and flight routes are essential to ensure continued breeding in current sites and survival of this population. Further research to better understand the habitat requirements for the White-bellied Heron is vital.

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The dark side of the black caiman: Shedding light on species dietary ecology and movement in Agami Pond, French Guiana

Caut

François²,

Bacques³

et al. 2019

PLoS ONE

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The black caiman is one of the largest neotropical top predators, which means that it could play a structuring role within swamp ecosystems. However, because of the difficulties inherent to studying black caimans, data are sorely lacking on many aspects of their general biology, natural history, and ecology, especially in French Guiana. We conducted a detailed study of the Agami Pond black caiman population using a multidisciplinary approach. The aim was to better understand the species’ dietary ecology and movements in the pond, and thus its functional role in pond system. We gathered natural history data, tracked caiman movements using satellite transmitters, and characterized feeding ecology via stable isotope analysis. Our study was carried out over three sampling periods and spanned both wet and dry seasons, which differ in their hydrological and ecological conditions. Our results show that black caiman abundance and age demographics differed between seasons in Agami Pond. In the dry season, Agami Pond is one of the only areas within the marsh to hold water. It thus contains large quantities of different fish species, which form the basis of the black caiman’s diet. Caiman body size, a proxy for age class, was around 1.5 meters. During the wet season, which corresponds to the breeding period for migratory birds (e.g., Agami herons), adult black caimans are present in Agami Pond. Adults were most abundant in the inundated forest. There, most individuals measured up to 2 meters. They also exhibited a particular “predatory” behavior near bird nests, preying on fallen chicks and adults. Juveniles and subadults were present during both seasons in the pond’s open waters. These behavioral observations were backed up by stable isotope analysis, which revealed ontogenetic variation in the caiman’s isotopic values. This isotopic variation reflected variation in diet that likely reduced intraspecific competition between adults and young. The telemetry and microchip data show that different age classes had different movement patterns and that seasonal variation in the pond may influence caiman prey availability and reproductive behavior. The new information gathered should help predict this species’ responses to potential ecosystem disturbance (e.g., water pollution, habitat destruction) and inform the development of an effective conservation plan that involves locals and wildlife officials.

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Breeding Season Home Range and Migration of the Agami Heron (Agamia agami)

Cited by 6 publications

References 10 publications

New nesting locality of the Agami Heron, Agamia agami (Pelecaniformes: Ardeidae) in Ecuador

New nesting locality of the Agami Heron, Agamia agami (Pelecaniformes: Ardeidae) in Ecuador

Evaluation of nest habitat, site preferences and architecture of the critically endangered White-bellied HeronArdea insignisin Bhutan

The dark side of the black caiman: Shedding light on species dietary ecology and movement in Agami Pond, French Guiana

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