Cotinga 38 38 Short Communications

Cotinga 38 Short Communications Brood patches in juveniles I report the presence of On 7 July 2011 I trapped a of four bird species in brood patches in juveniles juvenile female Violet-chested Venezuela of four Neotropical birds: Hummingbird with a wrinkled Brood patches consist of areas Violet-chested Hummingbird brood patch at Portachuelo of thickened, naked skin richly Sternoclyta cyanopectus, Scrub Pass, Aragua state, Venezuela supplied with blood vessels that Greenlet Hylophilus flavipes, (10°24’N 67°35’W; 1,136 m); facilitate heat transfer to the eggs Southern Beardless Tyrannulet it was identified by the malar 6 during incubation9. While brood Camptostoma obsoletum and stripe during the breeding season patches are a characteristic of Bananaquit Coereba flaveola. (March–July; Fig. 1). The juveniles breeding adults, they are rare in I noted those individuals that of Scrub Greenlet, Southern juveniles, having been reported presented brood patches in phases Beardless Tyrannulet and 4 only in a few species, e.g. Rufous- two and three sensu Pyle . Phase Bananaquit were trapped in the collared Sparrow Zonotrichia two is characterised by an increase Arboretum Experimental Station, capensis1, Magnolia Warbler in the size of the blood vessels Caracas, an urban fragment of Setophaga magnolia7 and Common in the abdomen, and the skin deciduous forest (10°28’N 66°53’W; Crossbill Loxia curvirostra3. is thicker and filled with fluid, 1,100 m), between February and Furthermore, active brood patches while in phase three the skin of July 2014 (1 March, 20 February, are difficult to recognise as many the abdomen appears greyish and 26 July, respectively). The greenlet passerines possess little or no wrinkled. To differentiate brood and tyrannulet had vascularised down or feathers on the abdomen, patches from feather moult on the brood patches (Figs. 2) while the thus the belly areas of some young abdomen, the skin’s appearance Bananaquit had a wrinkled patch can appear like that of an adult was examined. If it did not (Fig. 3). They were identified as that is starting to develop a brood present an edemous or wrinkled juveniles by their beige gapes and patch, but they are quite smooth appearance, I did not consider the in Bananaquit also by the dull 6 and pink or red5. bird to have a brood patch. plumage . Figure 1(a). Juvenile female Violet-chested Hummingbird Sternoclyta cyanopectus with brood patch (b), Portachuelo Pass, Aragua state, Venezuela, July 2011 (Cristina Sainz-Borgo) Figure 2(a). Juvenile Scrub Greenlet Hylophilus flavipes with brood patch, Arboretum Experimental Station, Caracas, Venezuela, March 2014 (Cristina Sainz-Borgo) 38 Cotinga 38 Short Communications 5. Ralph, C. J., Geupel, G. R., Pyle, P., Martin, T. E., DeSante, D. F. & Milá, B. (1996) Manual de métodos de campo para el monitoreo de aves terrestres. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR- 159. Albany, CA: Pacific Southwest Research Station, Forest Service, US Dept. of Agriculture. 6. Restall, R., Rodner, C. & Lentino, M. (2006) Birds of northern South America: an identification guide. New Figure 3(a). Juvenile Bananaquit Coereba flaveola with brood patch (b), Arboretum Haven, CT: Yale University Experimental Station, Caracas, Venezuela, February 2014 (Sandra B. Giner Ferrara) Press. 7. Rodrígues, B. (2002) A new longevity record for All four juveniles were trapped García; and to Luis Levin of the the Magnolia Warbler. within their respective species’ Estación Experimental Arboretum. Bird-Bander 27: 11–12. breeding periods. However, 8. Solano-Ugalde, A., Arcos- several bird species retain juvenile References Torres, A. A. & Greeney, plumage during their first years 1. Davis, J. (1971) Breeding and H. F. (2007) Additional of adulthood. Breeding behaviour molt schedules of the Rufous- breeding records for in juveniles is poorly known, with collared Sparrow in coastal selected avian species in the exception of some Palearctic Perú. Condor 73: 127–146. northwest Ecuador. Bol. Soc. species like Pied Flycatcher 2. Doligez, B., Danchin, E., Antioqueña Orn. 17: 17–25 Ficedula hypoleuca2,8. In addition, Clobert, J. & Gustafsson, L. 9. Tucker, B. W. (1943) Brood- as some brood patches in juveniles (1999) The use of conspecific patches and the physiology might be confused with moult, reproductive success for of incubation. Brit. Birds 37: further research is required to breeding habitat selection in 22–28. shed light on this subject. a non-colonial, hole-nesting species, the collared Cristina Sainz-Borgo flycatcher. J. Anim. Ecol. 68: Acknowledgements Departamento de Biología de I thank Pedro A. Borges L., 1193–1206. Organismos, Universidad Simón Adriana Rodríguez-Ferraro and 3. Jardine, D. C. (1994) Brood Bolívar, Caracas, Venezuela. Carlos Verea for useful comments patch on a Common Crossbill E-mail: [email protected]. on the manuscript; Miguel Lentino Loxia curvirostra still in for helping to age of birds; and juvenile plumage. Bird Study Received 3 January 2015; final Amanda Navas and Sandra Giner 41: 155–156. revision accepted 27 September for assistance in the field. I am 4. Pyle, P. (1997) Identification 2015; published online 25 also grateful to the staff of the guide to North American February 2016 Estación Biológica Rancho Grande: birds, 1. Bolinas, CA: Slate Bartolo, John Lattke and Juan Creek Press. 39.

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