Ecology and Flock-Following Behavior of the Wedge-Billed Woodcreeper in Eastern Ecuador Abigail Darrah University of Arkansas, Fayetteville

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Ecology and Flock-Following Behavior of the Wedge-Billed Woodcreeper in Eastern Ecuador Abigail Darrah University of Arkansas, Fayetteville University of Arkansas, Fayetteville ScholarWorks@UARK Theses and Dissertations 5-2013 Ecology and Flock-Following Behavior of the Wedge-Billed Woodcreeper in Eastern Ecuador Abigail Darrah University of Arkansas, Fayetteville Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd Part of the Behavior and Ethology Commons, Poultry or Avian Science Commons, and the Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons Recommended Citation Darrah, Abigail, "Ecology and Flock-Following Behavior of the Wedge-Billed Woodcreeper in Eastern Ecuador" (2013). Theses and Dissertations. 807. http://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/807 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UARK. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UARK. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. ECOLOGY AND FLOCK-FOLLOWING BEHAVIOR OF THE WEDGE-BILLED WOODCREEPER IN EASTERN ECUADOR ECOLOGY AND FLOCK-FOLLOWING BEHAVIOR OF THE WEDGE-BILLED WOODCREEPER IN EASTERN ECUADOR A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Biology by Abigail Darrah Ohio University Bachelor of Science in Biology, 2003 University of Arkansas Master of Science in Biology, 2006 May 2013 University of Arkansas ABSTRACT The wedge-billed woodcreeper (Glyphorynchus spirurus) is a common understory suboscine passerine of lowland Neotropical rainforests. It frequently joins mixed-species understory flocks but also regularly forages alone, and thus is an excellent model species on which to conduct comparative behavioral observations to examine the hypothesized costs and benefits of flock- following. Individuals exhibit variable flocking propensities (proportion of time spent with flocks), and thus observing the correlations between flocking propensity and physical and environmental factors can provide further insight into the importance of flock-following to the ecology of this species. Despite its abundance at many sites and its wide geographic range, surprisingly few studies have focused on the ecology and behavior of this species; previous observations suggested that this species occupies large, overlapping home ranges, which has important implications for intraspecific interactions and flock-following behavior. This study had three primary objectives: 1) to compare the foraging behavior and movement patterns of the wedge-billed woodcreeper in and out of flocks to examine the importance of hypothesized costs and benefits of flock-following for this species; 2) to determine which physical and environmental factors have the greatest influence on individual flocking propensity; and 3) to quantify the extent of home range overlap among individuals and to examine the influence of this overlap on space use and flock-following behavior. Wedge-billed woodcreepers used more open microhabitats in flocks than alone, supporting an anti-predator hypothesis for the benefit of flocking behavior. A decrease in time spent per trunk in flocks than alone, and a decrease in time spent with a flock with increasing movement rate, suggests an energetic cost associated with following flocks. Average flocking propensity was 32% in 2011 and 20% in 2012, considerably lower than previously reported in the literature and predicted under the assumption that individuals always join a flock when one is present in the home range. Body mass was the strongest predictor of individual flocking propensity, with larger individuals spending more time in flocks, and the correlation between the differences in body mass and flocking propensities of overlapping neighbors suggests that larger individuals may exclude smaller individuals from flocks. The distribution of flock-following locations was not influenced by the space use of larger neighbors, although a rigorous examination of simultaneous space use, coupled with a genetic analysis to determine if any overlapping neighbors are genetically related, would be necessary to provide a robust test of this hypothesis. Home ranges overlapped extensively in this study, thus the wedge-billed woodcreeper does not appear to defend exclusive home ranges at this site, unlike most other understory insectivores including other woodcreepers. Finally, in order to provide additional information about the behavior and natural history of this species, this dissertation includes a chapter that describes a previously known display behavior and provides notes about incubation and fledgling care. This dissertation is approved for recommendation to the Graduate Council. Dissertation Director: ________________________________________ Dr. Kimberly Smith Dissertation Committee: ________________________________________ Dr. Bette Loiselle ________________________________________ Dr. Gary Huxel ________________________________________ Dr. Douglas James DISSERTATION DUPLICATION RELEASE I hereby authorize the University of Arkansas Libraries to duplicate this dissertation when needed for research and/or scholarship. Agreed ____________________________________ Abigail Darrah Refused ____________________________________ Abigail Darrah ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank Drs. Bette Loiselle and John Blake for their invaluable comments and logistical assistance in the field, and for permitting me to use their plots for this study. They graciously allowed me to accompany them during their yearly mist-netting efforts on their plots, which greatly facilitated my ability to capture enough wedge-billed woodcreepers for this study. I thank them for continuing to color-band the woodcreepers after my departure from the field in 2010. I am grateful for their efforts to teach me how to extract difficult birds from the nets and for allowing me to practice extraction techniques. I thank the staff of Tiputini Biodiversity Station for their support during my stays at the station, particularly on-site managers Diego Mosquera and Eduardo Mora. I am especially grateful for their efforts to provide comfort and transportation to a doctor when my husband and I were ill. I thank Consuelo de Romo for arranging transportation to and from the field station every year, and I thank David Romo Vallejo and María José Rendón for their assistance in obtaining research permits from the Ecuadorian Ministry of Environment. I thank Noah Strycker and Rebekah Rylander for volunteering their time to travel to Tiputini and help with field data collection. I thank the current and former students of the Smith Lab for their support and advice, particularly Jeff Kimmons, Maureen McClung, Jason Luscier, and Thea Kristensen. I am grateful to my committee members, Drs. Gary Huxel, Doug James, and Bette Loiselle, and to my advisor, Dr. Kimberly Smith, for their support. I thank three anonymous reviewers of a manuscript based on chapter 2 of this dissertation, whose comments were useful in improving that chapter. I thank the University of Arkansas Graduate School and the Arkansas Audubon Society Trust for providing funding for this project. Finally I thank my husband Tom Millican for his love and support throughout my endeavors. DEDICATION I dedicate this dissertation to my mother, Beverly Craig, whose hard work and achievements inspired me to test my limits and strive to excel in academia. TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................1 Literature Cited....................................................................................................................8 CHAPTER 2.COMPARISON OF FORAGING BEHAVIORS AND MOVEMENT PATTERNS OF THE WEDGE-BILLED WOODCREEPER (GLYPHORYNCHUS SPIRURUS) TRAVELING ALONE AND IN MIXED-SPECIES FLOCKS IN AMAZONIAN ECUADOR ........................................................................................................................................................12 Abstract..............................................................................................................................13 Introduction........................................................................................................................13 Methods..............................................................................................................................17 Results................................................................................................................................22 Discussion..........................................................................................................................23 Literature Cited..................................................................................................................29 CHAPTER 3.ECOLOGICAL CORRELATES OF FLOCKING PROPENSITY IN THE WEDGE-BILLED WOODCREEPER (GLYPHORYNCHUS SPIRURUS) IN EASTERN ECUADOR....................................................................................................................................38 Abstract..............................................................................................................................39 Introduction........................................................................................................................39 Methods..............................................................................................................................43 Results................................................................................................................................49
Recommended publications
  • Costa Rica 2020
    Sunrise Birding LLC COSTA RICA TRIP REPORT January 30 – February 5, 2020 Photos: Talamanca Hummingbird, Sunbittern, Resplendent Quetzal, Congenial Group! Sunrise Birding LLC COSTA RICA TRIP REPORT January 30 – February 5, 2020 Leaders: Frank Mantlik & Vernon Campos Report and photos by Frank Mantlik Highlights and top sightings of the trip as voted by participants Resplendent Quetzals, multi 20 species of hummingbirds Spectacled Owl 2 CR & 32 Regional Endemics Bare-shanked Screech Owl 4 species Owls seen in 70 Black-and-white Owl minutes Suzy the “owling” dog Russet-naped Wood-Rail Keel-billed Toucan Great Potoo Tayra!!! Long-tailed Silky-Flycatcher Black-faced Solitaire (& song) Rufous-browed Peppershrike Amazing flora, fauna, & trails American Pygmy Kingfisher Sunbittern Orange-billed Sparrow Wayne’s insect show-and-tell Volcano Hummingbird Spangle-cheeked Tanager Purple-crowned Fairy, bathing Rancho Naturalista Turquoise-browed Motmot Golden-hooded Tanager White-nosed Coati Vernon as guide and driver January 29 - Arrival San Jose All participants arrived a day early, staying at Hotel Bougainvillea. Those who arrived in daylight had time to explore the phenomenal gardens, despite a rain storm. Day 1 - January 30 Optional day-trip to Carara National Park Guides Vernon and Frank offered an optional day trip to Carara National Park before the tour officially began and all tour participants took advantage of this special opportunity. As such, we are including the sightings from this day trip in the overall tour report. We departed the Hotel at 05:40 for the drive to the National Park. En route we stopped along the road to view a beautiful Turquoise-browed Motmot.
    [Show full text]
  • Auto Guia Version Ingles
    Parque Natural Metropolitano Tel: (507) 232-5516/5552 Fax: (507) 232-5615 www.parquemetropolitano.org Ave. Juan Pablo II final P.O. Box 0843-03129 Balboa, Ancón, Panamá República de Panamá 2 Taylor, L. 2006. Raintree Nutrition, Tropical Plant Database. http://www.rain- Welcome to the Metropolitan Natural Park, the lungs of Panama tree.com/plist.htm. Date accessed; February 2007 City! The park was established in 1985 and contains 232 hectares. It is one of the few protected areas located within the city border. Thomson, L., & Evans, B. 2006. Terminalia catappa (tropical almond), Species Profiles for Pacific Island Agroforestry. Permanent Agriculture Resources You are about to enter an ecosystem that is nearly extinct in Latin (PAR), Elevitch, C.R. (ed.). http://www.traditionaltreeorg . Date accessed March America: the Pacific dry forests. Whether your goals for this walk 2007-04-23 are a simple walk to keep you in shape or a careful look at the forest and its inhabitants, this guide will give you information about Young, A., Myers, P., Byrne, A. 1999, 2001, 2004. Bradypus variegatus, what can be commonly seen. We want to draw your attention Megalonychidae, Atta sexdens, Animal Diversity Web. http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Bradypus_var toward little things that may at first glance seem hidden away. Our iegatus.html. Date accessed March 2007 hope is that it will raise your curiosity and that you’ll want to learn more about the mysteries that lie within the tropical forest. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The contents of this book include tree identifications, introductions Text and design: Elisabeth Naud and Rudi Markgraf, McGill University, to basic ecological concepts and special facts about animals you Montreal, Canada.
    [Show full text]
  • Territory Size and Stability in a Sedentary Neotropical Passerine: Is Resource Partitioning a Necessary Condition?
    J. Field Ornithol. 76(4):395±401, 2005 Territory size and stability in a sedentary neotropical passerine: is resource partitioning a necessary condition? Janet V. Gorrell,1 Gary Ritchison,1,3 and Eugene S. Morton2 1 Department of Biological Sciences, Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, Kentucky 40475 USA 2 Hemlock Hill Field Station, 22318 Teepleville Flats Road, Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania 16403 USA Received 9 April 2004; accepted 11 April 2005 ABSTRACT. Long-term pair bonds and defense of territories year-round are common among tropical passer- ines. The boundaries of these territories tend to be stable, perhaps re¯ecting the need to defend an area that, regardless of conditions, provides suf®cient food resources. If, however, these stable territories are not, even tem- porarily, suf®ciently large, then intra-pair competition for available food may result, particularly in species with no sexual size dimorphism. With such competition, sex-speci®c differences in foraging behavior may result. Male and female Dusky Antbirds (Cercomacra tyrannina) are not size dimorphic, and pairs jointly defend territories throughout the year. Our objective was to determine if paired Dusky Antbirds exhibited sex-speci®c differences in foraging behavior. Foraging antbirds were observed in central Panama from February±July 2002 to determine if pairs par- titioned food resources. Males and females exhibited no differences in foraging behavior, with individuals of both sexes foraging at similar heights and using the same foraging maneuvers (glean, probe, and sally) and substrates (leaves, rolled leaves, and woody surfaces). These results suggest that Dusky Antbirds do not partition resources and that territory switching, rather than resource partitioning, may be the means by which they gain access to additional food resources.
    [Show full text]
  • SPLITS, LUMPS and SHUFFLES Splits, Lumps and Shuffles Alexander C
    >> SPLITS, LUMPS AND SHUFFLES Splits, lumps and shuffles Alexander C. Lees This series focuses on recent taxonomic proposals—be they entirely new species, splits, lumps or reorganisations—that are likely to be of greatest interest to birders. This latest instalment includes a new Scytalopus tapaculo and a new subspecies of Three-striped Warbler, reviews of species limits in Grey-necked Wood Rails and Pearly Parakeets and comprehensive molecular studies of Buff-throated Woodcreepers, Sierra Finches, Red-crowned Ant Tanagers and Siskins. Get your lists out! Splits proposed for Grey- Pearly Parakeet is two species necked Wood Rails The three subspecies of Pearly Parakeet Pyrrhura lepida form a species complex with Crimson- The Grey-necked Wood Rail Aramides cajaneus bellied Parakeet P. perlata and replace each other is both the most widespread (occurring from geographically across a broad swathe of southern Mexico to Argentina) and the only polytypic Amazonia east of the Madeira river all the way member of its genus. Although all populations to the Atlantic Ocean. Understanding the nature are ‘diagnosable’ in having an entirely grey neck of this taxonomic variation is an important task, and contrasting chestnut chest, there is much as collectively their range sits astride much of variation in the colours of the nape, lower chest the Amazonian ‘Arc of Deforestation’ and the and mantle, differences amongst which have led to broadly-defined Brazilian endemic Pearly Parakeet the recognition of nine subspecies. Marcondes and is already considered to be globally Vulnerable. Silveira (2015) recently explored the taxonomy of Somenzari and Silveira (2015) recently investigated Grey-necked Wood Rails based on morphological the taxonomy of the three lepida subspecies (the and vocal characteristics using a sample of 800 nominate P.
    [Show full text]
  • Systematic Relationships and Biogeography of the Tracheophone Suboscines (Aves: Passeriformes)
    MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND EVOLUTION Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 23 (2002) 499–512 www.academicpress.com Systematic relationships and biogeography of the tracheophone suboscines (Aves: Passeriformes) Martin Irestedt,a,b,* Jon Fjeldsaa,c Ulf S. Johansson,a,b and Per G.P. Ericsona a Department of Vertebrate Zoology and Molecular Systematics Laboratory, Swedish Museum of Natural History, P.O. Box 50007, SE-104 05 Stockholm, Sweden b Department of Zoology, University of Stockholm, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden c Zoological Museum, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark Received 29 August 2001; received in revised form 17 January 2002 Abstract Based on their highly specialized ‘‘tracheophone’’ syrinx, the avian families Furnariidae (ovenbirds), Dendrocolaptidae (woodcreepers), Formicariidae (ground antbirds), Thamnophilidae (typical antbirds), Rhinocryptidae (tapaculos), and Conop- ophagidae (gnateaters) have long been recognized to constitute a monophyletic group of suboscine passerines. However, the monophyly of these families have been contested and their interrelationships are poorly understood, and this constrains the pos- sibilities for interpreting adaptive tendencies in this very diverse group. In this study we present a higher-level phylogeny and classification for the tracheophone birds based on phylogenetic analyses of sequence data obtained from 32 ingroup taxa. Both mitochondrial (cytochrome b) and nuclear genes (c-myc, RAG-1, and myoglobin) have been sequenced, and more than 3000 bp were subjected to parsimony and maximum-likelihood analyses. The phylogenetic signals in the mitochondrial and nuclear genes were compared and found to be very similar. The results from the analysis of the combined dataset (all genes, but with transitions at third codon positions in the cytochrome b excluded) partly corroborate previous phylogenetic hypotheses, but several novel arrangements were also suggested.
    [Show full text]
  • Lepidocolaptes Angustirostris) in a Southern Temperate Forest of Central-East Argentina
    Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment ISSN: 0165-0521 (Print) 1744-5140 (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/nnfe20 Nesting biology of the Narrow-billed Woodcreeper (Lepidocolaptes angustirostris) in a southern temperate forest of central-east Argentina Adrián Jauregui, Exequiel Gonzalez & Luciano N. Segura To cite this article: Adrián Jauregui, Exequiel Gonzalez & Luciano N. Segura (2019): Nesting biology of the Narrow-billed Woodcreeper (Lepidocolaptesangustirostris) in a southern temperate forest of central-east Argentina, Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/01650521.2019.1590968 Published online: 25 Mar 2019. Submit your article to this journal View Crossmark data Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=nnfe20 STUDIES ON NEOTROPICAL FAUNA AND ENVIRONMENT https://doi.org/10.1080/01650521.2019.1590968 ORIGINAL ARTICLE Nesting biology of the Narrow-billed Woodcreeper (Lepidocolaptes angustirostris) in a southern temperate forest of central-east Argentina Adrián Jauregui, Exequiel Gonzalez and Luciano N. Segura Sección Ornitología, Museo de La Plata, Universidad Nacional de La Plata-CONICET, La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY We present data on the nesting biology of the Narrow-billed Woodcreeper (Lepidocolaptes Received 24 September 2018 angustirostris) in a natural forest in central-east Argentina. A total of 18 nests were found during Accepted 27 February 2019 – four breeding seasons (2015 2019; from September to January), located in cavities (natural, KEYWORDS artificial and woodpecker cavities). The incubation period lasted 16 days and eggs were larger Breeding parameters; than those from northern populations.
    [Show full text]
  • Reproductive Biology and Nest-Site Selection of the Mato Grosso Antbird Cercomacra Melanaria in the Brazilian Pantanal
    Revista Brasileira de Ornitologia, 22(3), 270-277 ARTICLE September 2014 Reproductive biology and nest-site selection of the Mato Grosso Antbird Cercomacra melanaria in the Brazilian Pantanal Bianca Bernardon1, 2, 3, Paula Fernanda Albonette de Nóbrega1 and João Batista de Pinho1 1 Laboratório de Ornitologia, Núcleo de Estudos Ecológicos do Pantanal, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso – UFMT, Avenida Fernando Corrêa, s/nº, Coxipó, CEP 78060-900, Cuiabá, MT, Brazil 2 Current Address: Grupo de Pesquisa em Ecologia de Vertebrados Terrestres, Instituto de Desenvolvimento Sustentável Mamirauá – IDSM, Estrada do Bexiga, 2584, CEP 69553-225, Tefé, AM, Brazil 3 Corresponding author: [email protected] Received on 27 December 2013. Accepted on 26 June 2014. ABSTRACT: Economic activities, such as extensive cattle ranching, may seriously threaten the types of forest most important to the Mato Grosso Antbird Cercomacra melanaria, and information on reproductive biology is essential for defining sound conservation and management strategies for the species. Here, we report on the reproductive biology of this species in the Brazilian Pantanal, focusing on attributes such as incubation and nestling periods, as well as characteristics of parental care. The hypothesis that nest occurrence is associated with canopy opening was also tested. Average nest height was 0.98 m; mean nest construction and egg incubation periods were 12.2 and 14 days, respectively; average nestling period was 9.4 days. Both males and females participated in nest construction, egg incubation, and feeding of nestlings. The canopy was consistently more open away from the nests (18.74%) than at nest sites (10.10%; P < 0.0001), indicating that C.
    [Show full text]
  • Threatened Birds of the Americas
    GREAT XENOPS Megaxenops parnaguae K12 Dry woodland in the heavily populated interior of north-east Brazil is the habitat of this apparently very local and little known mid-storey bark-gleaner, which is presumably suffering from land clearance. DISTRIBUTION The Great Xenops (see Remarks 1) is known from a few localities thinly scattered over a large area in interior north-eastern and central Brazil. The assumption that it occurs in “probably all the caatinga region of northeastern Brazil” (Vaurie 1980: 325 and map 55) is in need of further supporting evidence, but it is certainly true that very recent records have hugely extended its known range. Ceará A specimen was collected in March 1925 at Várzea Formosa, near Ipueiras, on the eastern escarpments of the Serra da Ibiapaba (Hellmayr 1929a). Sight records of this bird are known from Chapada do Araripe, recently (Vaurie 1980, Teixeira et al. 1989, J. F. Pacheco and B. M. Whitney in litt. 1991, M. Pearman in litt. 1992), Quixadá in 1982 and Tauá in 1983 (R. Otoch in litt. 1986). Piauí The type-material was two specimens collected in June 1903 on the trail from Parnaguá to Olho d'Agua (untraceable); several other specimens were shot (but not conserved) at the same place on the same day (Reiser 1926). There is a sight record from near Manoel Emídio in July 1987 (P. Roth in litt. 1987; also Roth 1987c, 1989b). The species is well represented in Serra da Capivara National Park (Olmos in press). Six specimens (in AMNH, CM) were taken over two days at Parnaguá, 300 m, in June 1927 (see Remarks 2).
    [Show full text]
  • A Narrow-Billed Woodcreeper, Lepidocolaptes Angustirostris, Nesting in a Mailbox
    Revista Brasileira de Ornitologia 26(3): 189–191. SHOrt-COMMUNARTICLEicatiON September 2018 A Narrow-billed Woodcreeper, Lepidocolaptes angustirostris, nesting in a mailbox Marco A. Pizo1,2 1 Department of Zoology, Institute of Biosciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Rio Claro, SP, Brazil. 2 Corresponding author: [email protected] Received on 12 April 2018. Accepted on 31 May 2018. ABSTRACT: Documenting the adaptations of birds to live in urban areas is important in a context of an anthropogenically altered world where such areas may represent novel ecological opportunities for birds. Here I report on a nest of the Narrow-billed Woodcreeper Lepidocolaptes angustirostris in a wooden mailbox in a suburban area. The nest was found in the first week of November 2016 with three eggs, and later two nestlings that died within approximately one week likely due to water leaking into the box. The ability of L. angustirostris to use man-made structures for foraging and nesting, and its typical occurrence in open areas (thus differing from the family pattern of predominantly forest species) are factors permitting the occupation of urban habitats. KEY-WORDS: breeding biology, Dendrocolaptidae, nest box, suburban, urban adapter. The utilization of man-made structures for foraging southeast Brazil. The mailbox was supported by a 1.2 and nesting may represent novel adaptations that m wood pole, and had a rectangular entrance (4 × 17 permit the occupation of urban environments by birds. cm) positioned in the upper third portion of the box Documenting such adaptations is important in a context and protected by an overhanging shelter (Fig.
    [Show full text]
  • Bird) Species List
    Aves (Bird) Species List Higher Classification1 Kingdom: Animalia, Phyllum: Chordata, Class: Reptilia, Diapsida, Archosauria, Aves Order (O:) and Family (F:) English Name2 Scientific Name3 O: Tinamiformes (Tinamous) F: Tinamidae (Tinamous) Great Tinamou Tinamus major Highland Tinamou Nothocercus bonapartei O: Galliformes (Turkeys, Pheasants & Quail) F: Cracidae Black Guan Chamaepetes unicolor (Chachalacas, Guans & Curassows) Gray-headed Chachalaca Ortalis cinereiceps F: Odontophoridae (New World Quail) Black-breasted Wood-quail Odontophorus leucolaemus Buffy-crowned Wood-Partridge Dendrortyx leucophrys Marbled Wood-Quail Odontophorus gujanensis Spotted Wood-Quail Odontophorus guttatus O: Suliformes (Cormorants) F: Fregatidae (Frigatebirds) Magnificent Frigatebird Fregata magnificens O: Pelecaniformes (Pelicans, Tropicbirds & Allies) F: Ardeidae (Herons, Egrets & Bitterns) Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis O: Charadriiformes (Sandpipers & Allies) F: Scolopacidae (Sandpipers) Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularius O: Gruiformes (Cranes & Allies) F: Rallidae (Rails) Gray-Cowled Wood-Rail Aramides cajaneus O: Accipitriformes (Diurnal Birds of Prey) F: Cathartidae (Vultures & Condors) Black Vulture Coragyps atratus Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura F: Pandionidae (Osprey) Osprey Pandion haliaetus F: Accipitridae (Hawks, Eagles & Kites) Barred Hawk Morphnarchus princeps Broad-winged Hawk Buteo platypterus Double-toothed Kite Harpagus bidentatus Gray-headed Kite Leptodon cayanensis Northern Harrier Circus cyaneus Ornate Hawk-Eagle Spizaetus ornatus Red-tailed
    [Show full text]
  • AOU Classification Committee – North and Middle America
    AOU Classification Committee – North and Middle America Proposal Set 2016-C No. Page Title 01 02 Change the English name of Alauda arvensis to Eurasian Skylark 02 06 Recognize Lilian’s Meadowlark Sturnella lilianae as a separate species from S. magna 03 20 Change the English name of Euplectes franciscanus to Northern Red Bishop 04 25 Transfer Sandhill Crane Grus canadensis to Antigone 05 29 Add Rufous-necked Wood-Rail Aramides axillaris to the U.S. list 06 31 Revise our higher-level linear sequence as follows: (a) Move Strigiformes to precede Trogoniformes; (b) Move Accipitriformes to precede Strigiformes; (c) Move Gaviiformes to precede Procellariiformes; (d) Move Eurypygiformes and Phaethontiformes to precede Gaviiformes; (e) Reverse the linear sequence of Podicipediformes and Phoenicopteriformes; (f) Move Pterocliformes and Columbiformes to follow Podicipediformes; (g) Move Cuculiformes, Caprimulgiformes, and Apodiformes to follow Columbiformes; and (h) Move Charadriiformes and Gruiformes to precede Eurypygiformes 07 45 Transfer Neocrex to Mustelirallus 08 48 (a) Split Ardenna from Puffinus, and (b) Revise the linear sequence of species of Ardenna 09 51 Separate Cathartiformes from Accipitriformes 10 58 Recognize Colibri cyanotus as a separate species from C. thalassinus 11 61 Change the English name “Brush-Finch” to “Brushfinch” 12 62 Change the English name of Ramphastos ambiguus 13 63 Split Plain Wren Cantorchilus modestus into three species 14 71 Recognize the genus Cercomacroides (Thamnophilidae) 15 74 Split Oceanodroma cheimomnestes and O. socorroensis from Leach’s Storm- Petrel O. leucorhoa 2016-C-1 N&MA Classification Committee p. 453 Change the English name of Alauda arvensis to Eurasian Skylark There are a dizzying number of larks (Alaudidae) worldwide and a first-time visitor to Africa or Mongolia might confront 10 or more species across several genera.
    [Show full text]
  • Southeast Brazil: Atlantic Rainforest and Savanna, Oct-Nov 2016
    Tropical Birding Trip Report Southeast Brazil: Atlantic Rainforest and Savanna, Oct-Nov 2016 SOUTHEAST BRAZIL: Atlantic Rainforest and Savanna October 20th – November 8th, 2016 TOUR LEADER: Nick Athanas Report and photos by Nick Athanas Helmeted Woodpecker - one of our most memorable sightings of the tour It had been a couple of years since I last guided this tour, and I had forgotten how much fun it could be. We covered a lot of ground and visited a great series of parks, lodges, and reserves, racking up a respectable group list of 459 bird species seen as well as some nice mammals. There was a lot of rain in the area, but we had to consider ourselves fortunate that the rainiest days seemed to coincide with our long travel days, so it really didn’t cost us too much in the way of birds. My personal trip favorite sighting was our amazing and prolonged encounter with a rare Helmeted Woodpecker! Others of note included extreme close-ups of Spot-winged Wood-Quail, a surprise Sungrebe, multiple White-necked Hawks, Long-trained Nightjar, 31 species of antbirds, scope views of Variegated Antpitta, a point-blank Spotted Bamboowren, tons of colorful hummers and tanagers, TWO Maned Wolves at the same time, and Giant Anteater. This report is a bit light on text and a bit heavy of photos, mainly due to my insane schedule lately where I have hardly had any time at home, but all photos are from the tour. www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] Tropical Birding Trip Report Southeast Brazil: Atlantic Rainforest and Savanna, Oct-Nov 2016 The trip started in the city of Curitiba.
    [Show full text]