Nesting ecology and nesting success of resident and endemic tropical birds in the Dominican Republic

Townsend, Jason M.; Rimmer, Christopher C.; Latta, Steven C.; Mejía, Danilo; Garrido, Esteban G.; McFarland, Kent P.

doi:10.1676/17-078

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Haiti has a rich and vulnerable tropical avifauna [20,21,28,29]. Unfortunately, very little research has been carried out on the basic biology and ecology of resident birds, in particular on the 33 bird species endemic to the island [112,113]. The present study, however, shows that knowledge gaps could be relatively easily and more effectively filled through funding tertiary education of local young researchers and regional cooperation, instead of promoting parachute science [114][115][116].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 76%

Effects of Deforestation on Foraging Behavior, Ectoparasites, and Adult Survival in the Vulnerable La Selle Thrush, Turdus swalesi, in Haiti

Exantus,

Vidal,

Cézilly

2023

Sustainability

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Although range-restricted Neotropical bird species are highly endangered, little is known about their ability to cope with environmental disturbance. We studied the vulnerable, Hispaniola- endemic La Selle Thrush (LST), Turdus swalesi, in a protected forested area in Haiti threatened by agriculture, livestock and logging. We used capture–mark–recapture, visual observations, and camera traps to document foraging ecology and estimate adult survival over 26 months. LST foraged mainly in deciduous woodlots. However, some individuals regularly foraged on or around dung pats in fallow pastures, whereas no other ground-dwelling bird species was observed to do so. Coincidently, 16.5% of 79 mist-netted LST harbored Ixodid ticks, compared to none of the 2131 individuals belonging to 29 other species mist-netted in the area. This suggests that infestation with ticks might come as a cost of opportunistically exploiting a new food resource. Apparent annual adult survival rate was independent of sex, and varied between 0.393 and 0.440, depending on the inclusion of a transience effect in our models. This low value was possibly due to “permanent” emigration from the site during the study. We discuss the potential effects of deforestation on the ecology and demography of LST and make recommendations for future conservation-oriented research in Haiti.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 76%

Effects of Deforestation on Foraging Behavior, Ectoparasites, and Adult Survival in the Vulnerable La Selle Thrush, Turdus swalesi, in Haiti

Exantus,

Vidal,

Cézilly

2023

Sustainability

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“…Encouragingly, work published since the review period of this study points toward a growing interest in this group (e.g. Rimmer et al 2017;Townsend et al 2018 and see the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology's 2017 Special Issue on the Status of Caribbean Forest Endemics). However, it is important to note that this is not the only metric of output of increased research capacity; see discussion below for the impact of the NGO community on avian conservation.…”

Section: Current Research Effortmentioning

confidence: 81%

Patterns in island endemic forest-dependent bird research: the Caribbean as a case-study

Devenish‐Nelson

Weidemann²,

Townsend

et al. 2019

Biodivers Conserv

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Unequal patterns in research effort can result in inaccurate assessments of species extinction risk or ineffective management. A group of notable conservation concern are tropical island endemic birds, many of which are also forest-dependent, which increases their vulnerability to extinction. Yet, island bird species have received limited research attention compared to their continental congeners, despite this taxon being globally regarded as well-studied. We used the insular Caribbean, a globally important endemism hotspot with high rates of deforestation, to explore research bias of island and regional endemic forest-dependent birds. A review of the published literature (n = 992) found no significant increase in the number of studies over the search period. Research effort was significantly higher among species with threatened status, long generation time, wide habitat breadth and low to intermediate elevational distributions. Among family groups, the Psittacidae received the highest research effort, while the Cuculidae were the most underrepresented family (30-fold higher and six-fold less than expected, respectively). We found geographic biases in effort, with Jamaica having six-fold less and Puerto Rico eight times more research than expected for their level of endemism. These patterns likely reflect individual interests and limited capacity and funding, typical of Small Island Developing States. With over 50% of species in this review having declining population trends, we recommend prioritizing research that emphasises conservation-and management-relevant data across underrepresented families and islands, by fostering greater collaboration between researchers, practitioners and the existing local amateur ornithological community.

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“…The duration of field sessions varied from 3 to 15 days (median = 12.5), partly depending on weather conditions, while the duration of intervals between consecutive field sessions varied between 20 and 68 days (median = 40), except for an interruption from 26 February to 26 September in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic and safety issues in Haiti. The breeding season of the La Selle Thrush lasts from April to the end of July [48][49][50], J.M. Exantus pers.…”

Section: Study Site and Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimation of Adult Sex Ratio and Size-Related Sexual Dimorphism Based on Molecular Sex Determination in the Vulnerable La Selle Thrush, Turdus swalesi

Exantus,

Bezault,

Cambrone

et al. 2024

Animals

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Sex-determination is of particular importance in avian ecology and conservation. However, many bird species show no conspicuous sexual dimorphism, such as the La Selle Thrush, Turdus swalesi, a vulnerable species endemic to Hispaniola. We captured individuals in southeastern Haiti, in 2019–2022. For each one, we collected contour feathers or blood samples for molecular sex identification based on the CHD-1 gene. In addition, we took body measurements of several captured individuals and recorded their weight. Out of a total of 65 birds, 45 were identified as males and 20 as females, indicative of a significantly male-biased sex ratio. However, analyses of first captures showed that the sex ratio at our study site was male-biased only outside of the breeding season, suggesting that females may disperse at that time while males remain on their territories. Sexual dimorphism was limited to wing chord length and tail length, with males being larger than females. Tail length was the best predictor of sex in a logistic regression model and correctly classified about 80% of individuals as male or female. We discuss our results in relation to previous studies of sex ratio and sexual dimorphism in turdid species and address their relevance for the conservation of avian species in one of the major protected forest areas in Haiti.

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Nesting ecology and nesting success of resident and endemic tropical birds in the Dominican Republic

Cited by 5 publications

References 16 publications

Effects of Deforestation on Foraging Behavior, Ectoparasites, and Adult Survival in the Vulnerable La Selle Thrush, Turdus swalesi, in Haiti

Effects of Deforestation on Foraging Behavior, Ectoparasites, and Adult Survival in the Vulnerable La Selle Thrush, Turdus swalesi, in Haiti

Patterns in island endemic forest-dependent bird research: the Caribbean as a case-study

Estimation of Adult Sex Ratio and Size-Related Sexual Dimorphism Based on Molecular Sex Determination in the Vulnerable La Selle Thrush, Turdus swalesi

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