Diet and prey availability of terrestrial insectivorous birds prone to extinction in amazonian forest fragments

Mestre, Luiz Augusto Macedo; Cohn‐Haft, Mario; Dias, Manoel Martins

doi:10.1590/s1516-89132010000600014

Cited by 12 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…We obtained diet samples from insectivorous and omnivorous birds captured in mist‐nets using nonlethal 1.5% potassium antimony tartrate, based on established protocols (Poulin and Lefebvre , Mestre et al. ). We did not detect any mortality or decreased number of recaptures (compared to nontreated birds), and all birds were able to fly away.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of forest fragmentation on bird species richness in Papua New Guinea

et al. 2014

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Tropical forests worldwide are being fragmented at a rapid rate, causing a tremendous loss of biodiversity. Determining the impacts of forest disturbance and fragmentation on tropical biotas is therefore a central goal of conservation biology. We focused on bird communities in the interior (>100 m from forest edge) of forest fragments (300, 600, and 1200 ha) in the lowlands of Papua New Guinea and compared them with those in continuous forest. We surveyed bird communities using point counts, mist‐netting, and random walks, and measured habitat and microclimate characteristics at each site. We also surveyed leaf‐dwelling arthropods, butterflies, and ants, and obtained diet samples from birds to examine food availability and food preferences. We recorded significantly fewer bird species per point in the 300‐ha forest fragment than in other study sites. Overall, we recorded 80, 84, and 88 species, respectively, in forest fragments, and 102 in continuous forest. Frugivores (especially large frugivores) and insectivores had lower species richness in forest fragments than continuous forest. Our results did not support the food scarcity hypothesis, that is, the decline of insectivorous birds in forest fragments is caused by an impoverished invertebrate prey base. We also found no significant differences among forest fragments and continuous forest in microclimates of forest interiors. Rather, we found that microhabitats preferred by sensitive birds (i.e., 30% of species with the strongest preferences for continuous forest) were less common in forest fragments (19%–31% of points) than in continuous forest (86% of points). Our results suggest that changes in microhabitats may make forest fragments unsuitable for sensitive species. However, limited dispersal capabilities could also make some species of birds less likely to disperse and occupy fragments. In addition, impoverished food resources, size of the forest fragment, or hunting pressure could contribute to the absence of large frugivorous birds in forest fragments. The forest fragments in our study, preserved as village‐based protected areas, were not large enough to sustain the bird communities found in continuous forest. However, because these fragments still contained numerous bird species, preservation of such areas can be an important component of management strategies to conserve rainforests and birds in Papua New Guinea.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of forest fragmentation on bird species richness in Papua New Guinea

et al. 2014

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“…Burton (1984), Pascotto and Donatelli (2003), who related it with an increased amplitude in the visual field. The increased superposition of the visual field may provide an increase in the ability to hunt for insects or other small arthropods, which constitute the main diet of Sclerurus, as described by Vaurie (1980), Ridgely and Tudor (1994), as well as by Mestre et al (2010). Zusi (1984) stated that the binocular vision of some birds required a reduction of the anterorbital region, which was observed in S. mexicanus, S. albigularis, S. scansor, and S. guatemalensis.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Cranial osteology of the genus Sclerurus (Passeriformes: Furnariidae)

Guzzi

Branco

Donatelli

2016

RBT

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The Furnariidae encompasses 293 species and has been recognized as an example of continental adaptive radiation. They inhabit biomes from deserts to humid forests at all strata and show morphological heterogeneity unparalleled among birds at any taxonomic level. Sclerurus is a uniform genus of cryptic, mainly dark brown furnariids, with short black tails which are found solitary on or near the ground inside humid forest. The aim of the present study was to describe and to compare the cranial osteology of all six Sclerurus species (S. scansor, S. mexicanus, S. guatemalensis, S. caudacutus, S. rufigularis, and S. albigularis) to identify osteological characters that are (1) unique to each species, (2) shared among species, and (3) that are exclusive to the genus when compared to other members of Furnariidae. For this, bone structures and measurements were done following standard methodologies. The results showed that Sclerurus differs from other Furnariidae in the following characteristics: a narrowed caudal portion of the nostril with a more rounded shape allowing upper’s jaw greater mobility, used when foraging on soft substrates; the development of the post-orbital process may be related to digging behavior, as the presence of a short parsphenoid rostrum projection, a reduced cerebellar prominence, and the tapered caudal portion of the nostrils. Among the species, the interorbital width is larger in S. caudacutus and S. rufigularis, than in the remaining species. The development of the post-orbital process may be related to the behavior of digging nests in earthen banks; the narrowing of the caudal portion of the nostril allows for the greater mobility of the superior maxilla, which is used by Sclerurus when foraging in soft substrates on forest grounds.

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“…Except for Hymenoptera non-Formicidae, other taxa were also very common in the litter (Pearson and Derr, 1985;Mestre et al, 2010). Thus it seems plausible that these birds feed opportunistically and the diet represents, in general, the resources found in the environment.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As fecal samples and stomach contents provide highly fragmented materials, allowing only low taxonomic identification, in general at the order level, it is possible that greater differences are not detected by the limited accuracy of identifying the preys (Chapman and Rosenberg, 1991;Mestre et al, 2010). However, this level of identification has allowed differences to be detected in other studies (Sherry, 1984;Poulin and Lefebvre, 1996;Yard et al, 2004).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…He noted that the birds shared resources based more on size than on the taxonomic composition of prey items. If we consider that prey abundance decreases with body size (Stork and Blackburn, 1993;Mestre et al, 2010), it is plausible to suggest that their availability also decreases. So smaller arthropods must be overabundant items, while the largest would be more limited resources and the birds seem to differ in the use of arthropods in function of the size.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Feeding resource partitioning between two understorey insectivorous birds in a fragment of Neotropical cloud forest

2015

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The food habits and niche overlap based on diet composition and prey size of two species of understorey insectivorous birds were investigated in an area of montane rain forest in the state of Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil. A total of 43 birds were captured: 33 individuals of Conopophaga lineata (Conopophagidae) with 13 recaptures, and 10 individuals of Myiothlypis leucoblephara (Parulidae) with 12 recaptures, from which were obtained respectively 33 and 10 fecal samples. Fragments of 16 groups of arthropods, plus insect eggs, were identified in these samples. Conopophaga lineata predominantly consumed Formicidae (32%) and Isoptera (23.6%). However, the index of alimentary importance (AI) of Isoptera (3.53) was lower than other groups such as Formicidae (AI = 61.88), Coleoptera (AI = 16.17), insect larvae (AI = 6.95) and Araneae (AI = 6.6). Myiothlypis leucoblephara predominantly consumed Formicidae (28.2%) and Coleoptera (24.4%), although Coleoptera and Hymenoptera non-Formicidae had the highest values of AI (38.71 and 22.98 respectively). Differences in the proportions of the types of arthropods consumed by birds were not enough to reveal their separation into feeding niches (overlap = 0.618, p observed ≤ expected = 0.934), whereas differences in the use of resources was mainly due to the size of the prey (p<0.001), where C lineata, the species with the highest body mass (p<0.001) consumed larger prey. It is plausible that prey size is an axis of niche dimension that allows the coexistence of these species.Keywords: birds, cloud forest, insectivores, Neotropical region, niche. Partição de recursos alimentares entre duas espécies de aves insetívoras desub-bosque em um fragmento de floresta nebular Neotropical ResumoOs hábitos alimentares e a sobreposição de nicho em termos de composição da dieta e tamanho de presas de duas espécies de aves insetívoras de sub-bosque foram investigados em uma área de floresta ombrófila altomontana no estado de Minas Gerais, sudeste do Brasil. Foram capturados 33 indivíduos de Conopophaga lineata (Conopophagidae), com 13 recapturas, e 10 indivíduos de Myiothlypis leucoblephara (Parulidae), com 12 recapturas, dos quais foram obtidas, respectivamente, 33 e 10 amostras fecais, onde foram identificados fragmentos de 16 grupos de artrópodes, além de ovos de insetos. Conopophaga lineata consumiu predominantemente Formicidae (32%) e Isoptera (23,6%). Contudo, o índice de importância alimentar (IA) de Isoptera (3,53) esteve abaixo de outros grupos como Formicidae (IA = 61,88), Coleoptera (IA = 16,17), larva de inseto (IA = 6,95) e Araneae (IA = 6,6). Myiothlypis leucoblephara consumiu predominantemente Formicidae (28,2%) e Coleoptera (24,4%), embora em termos de IA o predomínio tenha sido de Coleoptera (IA = 38,71) e Hymenoptera não Formicidae (IA = 22,98). Diferenças nas proporções dos tipos de artrópodes consumidos pelas aves não foram suficientes para revelar separação em seus nichos alimentares (sobreposição = 0,618; p observado ≤ esperado = 0,934), ao passo que divergência...

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Diet and prey availability of terrestrial insectivorous birds prone to extinction in amazonian forest fragments

Abstract: ABSTRACT

Cited by 12 publications

References 30 publications

Effect of forest fragmentation on bird species richness in Papua New Guinea

Effect of forest fragmentation on bird species richness in Papua New Guinea

Cranial osteology of the genus Sclerurus (Passeriformes: Furnariidae)

Feeding resource partitioning between two understorey insectivorous birds in a fragment of Neotropical cloud forest

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