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Further observations of nesting Pachyramphus spodiurus Slaty Becard Pachyramphus spodiurus is the least studied of the 17 Pachyramphus becards, and little has been published about its nest, parental care, food or foraging behaviour. A threatened endemic to the lowlands and foothills of western Ecuador and extreme north- west Peru, it is considered rare to uncommon in deciduous and semi-humid forests1,2,4,12. We found a nest of Slaty Becard with two nestlings on 8 April 2006, in deciduous forest at the Jorupe Reserve of Fundación Jocotoco, near Macará, south-west Ecuador (04º23’S 79º57’W; 600 m). We placed a video camera 25 m from the nest and recorded a total of 21 hours and 18 minutes, on four different days (10, 12, 16 and

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22 April). After fledging, we sturdy, 10–20 cm, dark brown, rapidly up and down, alternating collected and measured the nest. horsehair-like, rhizomorph between an erect posture and a As well as analysing video footage, filaments, which bound the near- horizontal position. In the we made observations on adult Tillandsia strands and fastened latter position, the tail was held behaviour near and away from the the outer shell to the inner splayed out and down, rather than nest. chamber. Spider egg sacs (n=15) in line with the head and body. The nest was suspended 2 m were embedded into the outer After initial bobbing, prey delivery from the outer reaches of a three- layer, and probably also helped was swift, lasting 0.5–1.0 second. forked branch, 15 m above ground structural integrity. The oblong With two nestlings, the female fed in a 20m-tall Ceiba trichistrandra nest chamber (8.5 cm ceiling to the nestling 105 times and the (Bombacaceae). The nest tree was floor; 13 cm deep; 10 cm wide) was male fed them just 49 times for a in a steep ravine within older entirely lined with strips of pale combined parental effort of 18.2 growth deciduous forest, with a 20- brown tree bark (6–10 mm wide, feeds per hour. Prey items were m canopy, dominated by 10–20 cm long; chamber wall generally small and delivered Bombacaceae and a dense thickness 1 cm). The round, 4.5 singly. We were able to identify understorey of tangled scrub. The cm-diameter, side entrance was only one item, which was a small, top of the bulky nest was woven centrally placed, c.4 cm long, and hairless, green caterpillar into the fork of three branches opened directly into the inner (Lepidoptera). During the early (1–2 cm thick) that each chamber. nestling stage (10 April), the terminated in multiple, leafy All of our observations at the female brooded the nestlings by twigs. A broadleaf bromeliad grew nest were during the nestling day and after nightfall. Late in the from one of the supporting stage. On the day of discovery, and nestling stage, on 22 April, when branches and emerged from the throughout filming of the nest, we only one chick remained, the bottom of the nest. The nest was could discern two nestlings when female fed 102 times, whilst the elliptical (34 cm long; 24 cm deep; the adults arrived (Fig. 1). On 22 male made only ten trips to the 22 cm wide) and generally April, however, the last day of nest (combined effort 10.1 feeds appeared as a natural, unkempt, observation, only one chick per hour). Whilst the reasons for mass of epiphytes (Fig. 1), remained. The fate of the other this marked decrease in male although within was a neat, chick, whether it fledged or was visits is unclear, we suspect that spherical, tightly woven ball, c.16 predated, is unknown. he was spending more time away cm in diameter. Eighty percent of Both adults fed the nestlings from the nest feeding the fledgling. the outer mass, and the inner ball, from a perch outside the nest, While brooding, the female left comprised slender (1 mm either reaching down from for short periods, possibly to rest diameter), live strands of supporting branches or the ‘roof’, and forage. Singing near the nest Tillandsia sp. (Bromeliaceae) of or landing upright just below the was frequent, especially by the varying lengths (7–15 cm). The nest entrance. On landing, adults female. Through all 20 hours of remaining c.20% was composed of generally bobbed their head video, only once did we confirm that the male sang near the nest (and only weakly), whilst the female regularly sang a short, slurred trill as previously described2,8,12. We observed her vocalise, usually just once or twice, occasionally upon arrival and sometimes just after feeding the chicks. The nest of Slaty Becard, a bulky, globular nest is superficially similar to those described for congeners2. Few nests have been described in sufficient detail to make robust comparisons. Recent studies of P. versicolor and Grey- collared Becard P. major, however, suggest that the nest of Slaty Becard is similar in having a loose outer shell of material surrounding a tightly woven inner shell around Figure 1. Adult male Slaty Becard Pachyramphus spodiurus, Jorupe Reserve, south- the nest chamber3,5. Like other west Ecuador, 12 April 2006; the two nestlings are clearly visible at the nest species of Pachyramphus for which entrance (Murray Cooper) data are available3,5,9,10,13,14, both

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sexes of Slaty Becard care for the 3. Gelis, R. A. & Martínez, F. 14. Skutch, A. F. (1969) Life nestlings. The nest, supported by (2000) Nest and nestling histories of Central American multiple, small branches, is description of Grey-collared , 3. Pacific Coast likewise typical of Becard Pachyramphus major Avifauna 35. Berkeley, CA: Pachyramphus2,3,6–8,9,13. Using a in the highlands of Cooper Orn. Soc. c.35-day nesting cycle similar to Michoacán, Mexico. Cotinga other Pachyramphus2, and given 14: 47–48. Rudy A. Gelis, Harold F. fledging around 23 April, we 4. Granizo, T., Guerrero, M., Greeney and Eliot T. Miller estimate that this clutch was laid Pacheco, C., Ribadeneira, M. Yanayacu Biological Station & c.20 March. B. & Suárez, L. (eds.) (2002) Center for Creative Studies, Most recently, a preliminary Libro rojo de las aves del Cosanga, Napo, Ecuador; c/o Foch description of a nest of Slaty Ecuador. Quito: SIMBIOE, 721 y Amazonas, Quito, Ecuador. Becard11 in Peru has much in Conservation International, E- mail: [email protected]. common with the present study, UICN, Ministerio del Medio e.g., time of nesting (rainy season), Ambiente & EcoCiencia. Received 26 March 2008; final the globular nest, and propensity 5. Greeney, H. F. & Gelis, R. A. revision accepted 23 June 2008 of adults to vocalise near the nest. (2008) Nest architecture and (published online 4 March 2009) The nest location, 15 m high in a breeding activity of the large tree (Ceiba sp.), is likewise Barred Becard identical to that found in north- (Pachyramphus versicolor) in west Peru. northeastern Ecuador. Bol. Like many birds in the Soc. Antioqueña Orn. 18: Neotropics, Slaty Becard remains 20–25. little studied. We hope this contri- 6. Greeney, H. F., Gelis, R. A. & bution encourages others to White, R. (2004) Notes on publish their findings. breeding birds from an Ecuadorian lowland forest. Acknowledgements Bull. Brit. Orn. Club 124: We are grateful to Fundación 28–37. Jocotoco, in particular Francisco 7. Haverschmidt, F. (1968) Birds Sornoza and Robert Ridgely, for of Surinam. London, UK: making our stay at Jorupe Oliver & Boyd. possible. Thanks to Pedro, Giovany 8. Hilty, S. L. & Brown, W. L. and Leonidas, park guards at (1986) A guide to the birds of Jorupe, for their companionship in Colombia. Princeton, NJ: the field and continued efforts in Princeton University Press. protecting Ecuador’s most 9. de la Peña, M. R. (1987) Nidos endangered birds. Our studies y huevos de aves de were funded in part by John V. Argentina. Santa Fe: Moore and Matt Kaplan through privately published. the Population Biology Foundation. 10. Pulgarín, P. C. (2002) Notas Funding was provided to HFG sobre el nido, el compor- during the writing of this tamiento, y la dieta de los manuscript by BirdLife pichones del Cabezón Canelo International, the Maryland (Pachyramphus Ornithological Society and Field cinnamomeus). Bol. Soc. Guides Inc. This is publication no. Antioqueña Orn. 13: 41–45. 170 of the Yanayacu Natural 11. Rheindt, F. E. (2008) History Research Group. Descripción preliminar del nido de Pachyramphus References spodiurus, especie 1. BirdLife International (2004) amenazada. Cotinga 29: Threatened birds of the world 162–163. 2004. CD- ROM. Cambridge, 12. Ridgely, R. S. & Greenfield, P. UK: BirdLife International. J. (2001) The birds of 2. Fitzpatrick, J. W. (2004) Family Ecuador. Ithaca, NY: Cornell Tyrannidae (tyrant- University Press. flycatchers). In: del Hoyo, J., 13. Skutch, A. F. (1967) Life Elliott, A. & Christie, D. A. histories of Central American (eds.) Handbook of the birds highland birds. Publ. Nuttall of the world, 9. Barcelona: Orn. Club 7. Cambridge, MA: Lynx Edicions. Nuttall Orn. Club.

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