First Nest Descriptions for Hoffmanns's Woodcreeper Dendrocolaptes
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Cotinga 32 Short Communications First nest descriptions for Hoffmanns’s Woodcreeper Dendrocolaptes hoffmannsi and Snow-capped Manakin Lepidothrix nattereri During recent field work in the Madeira–Tapajós interfluvium, in southern Amazonian Brazil, we found the nests of two poorly 162 Cotinga32-100615.indd 162 6/15/2010 9:28:27 AM Cotinga 32 Short Communications known birds virtually or wholly The only previously published endemic to this interfluvium, breeding data involve a juvenile, for both of which published data with a yellow gape, observed on their breeding biology were with an adult on 16 March 2005 practically non-existent. at Pousada Rio Roosevelt, also in Amazonas10, a juvenile female Hoffmanns’s Woodcreeper collected by W. Hoffmanns at Dendrocolaptes hoffmannsi Allianca, on the rio Madeira, Hoffmanns’s Woodcreeper is a Amazonas, in early November2. poorly known endemic of southern Additional unpublished data, Amazonian Brazil, where it is based on specimens held at the Figure 1. Incubating female restricted to terra firme forest Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi Snow-capped Manakin Lepidothrix within the Madeira–Tapajós (MPEEG), Belém, and examined nattereri, Parque Nacional da Amazônia, interfluvium, and occurs as far by AW, involve a male from the Pará, 8 December 2008 (Andrew south as Rondônia, and south-west rio Aripuanã, Mato Grosso, in Whittaker) Mato Grosso, e.g. in Parque late September (MPEG 31041; Estadual Igarapes-Juruena6. presumably the source mentioned During ornithological field work by Marantz et al.5), single males in the environs of Borba (04°24’S from Santarém and Itaituba, 59°35’W), on the right bank of Pará, in late October (MPEG the rio Madeira, Amazonas, in 66116 and 58468) and Cachoeira September 2009, together with H. Nazaré, Rondônia, also in late Shirihai we found the first nest of this species to be reported in the October (MPEG 39631), as well literature. as a female from Juruti, Pará, in The nest was discovered in the late September (MPEG 56622), afternoon of 20 September, at the all of which were in breeding condition. These data, with edge of a one-year-old man-made Figure 2. Nest and eggs of Snow-capped agricultural clearing of c.250 × dates from late September to early November, fit the same Manakin Lepidothrix nattereri, Parque 200 m within terra firme forest Nacional da Amazônia, Pará, 8 with a general canopy height of timeframe as our late September December 2008 (Andrew Whittaker) c.30 m. The nesting tree was dead, nest building record, and confirm and had been burnt once, and that D. hoffmannsi breeds during Snow-capped Manakin was 25 m tall with a base of 2.1 the late dry season and into the Lepidothrix nattereri m diameter. The cavity was sited early wet season. Amongst the L. nattereri is almost endemic in the tree’s main trunk, c.18 m five species of Dendrocolaptes 5 to southern Amazonian Brazil, above ground (at which point the recognised by Marantz et al. , where it basically occupies the trunk had an estimated radius materials used to line the nest Madeira–Tapajós interfluvium, of c.1.5 m diameter), where a appear to be mentioned for only although it reaches just west of hollow had been formed due to a Northern Barred Woodcreeper the former river’s major tributary, broken-off bough; the cavity was D. sanctihomae (leaves and bark) the Guaporé, into Santa Cruz, half-covered by an abandoned and Planalto Woodcreeper D. p. Bolivia, in the far south of its termitarium. From our position, platyrostris (bark, also collected range, and it crosses the Tapajós the cavity was estimated to be in nearby trees). In some genera, into the Serra do Cachimbo, in c.50 cm high by 20 cm wide, and there appears to be quite some south-west Pará9. While leading a had two broken sticks jutting out. variation in such materials, e.g. 5 bird tour to the Parque Nacional At 17h25, one bird was observed for Dendrocincla , meaning that da Amazônia (or Tapajós National collecting eight pieces of bark from further data for Dendrocolaptes Park), Pará, south of Itaituba, on a dead tree c.50 m from the nest; might reveal less uniformity in the morning of 8 December 2008, the bark flakes were estimated this character than currently 1 AW & JCT located a Snow-capped to be 2.0–3.5 cm long and were exists, but Cockle & Bodrati Manakin nest (Fig. 1). The nest taken into the cavity. The same in their extensive study of was found beside a narrow path behaviour was observed twice, but Dendrocolaptes p. platyrostris through terra firme forest after the although two birds (a presumed in north-east Argentina found female had flushed from it. The pair) were present in the area, that bark from a variety of live nest itself was 1 m off the trail only one was seen carrying nesting trees was brought to all 17 in very open understorey, sited material. The tree from which studied nests, by both sexes, in a small sapling (unidentified) we saw the bird take the bark during the laying and incubation c.65 cm tall. In the following we had a bare area c.60 cm long by periods. The nest we found also follow the standard methodology 20 cm wide, from where the bark appears to be considerably higher for describing the nests of had been apparently repeatedly above the ground than any nest Neotropical birds8. The nest stripped. previously described for the genus Dendrocolaptes1. was a neatly woven elementary 163 Cotinga32-100615.indd 163 6/15/2010 9:28:27 AM Cotinga 32 Short Communications standard cup / lateral, slung Acknowledgements standardization of nest between two horizontal branches We thank Alex Lees for his descriptions of neotropical off the trunk (similar to a lateral comments on the submitted birds. Rev. Bras. Orn. 13: fork) and woven tightly to these version of the manuscript, and 143–154. branches by spider webs along Alexandre Aleixo and Maria de 9. Snow, D. W. (2004) Family the nest’s rim (Fig. 2). The walls Fatima Cunha Lima at the Museu Pipridae (manakins). In: of the cup were constructed of Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Belém, del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A. some larger dead palm leaves for permitting AW to examine & Christie, D. A. (eds.) lined with thin straw-coloured specimens held in that institution. Handbook of the birds of the strips of bark, and the entire AW also thanks Jaqueline world, 9. Barcelona: Lynx nest was neatly bound together Fortuna for helping to locate some Edicions. with spider webs. The outer walls literature. 10. Whittaker, A. (2009) Pousada and base of the nest had several Rio Roosevelt: a provisional large dead leaves also attached References avifaunal inventory in south- using spider webs and below the 1. Cockle, K. L. & Bodrati, A. western Amazonian Brazil, cup there was a ‘tail’ formed by a A. (2009) Nesting of the with information on life dead leaf 6.5–7.0 cm long, which Planalto Woodcreeper history, new distributional disguised the nest’s shape (Fig. (Dendrocolaptes platyrostris). data and comments on 1). The nest was 4.5–5.0 cm from Wilson J. Orn. 121: 789–795. taxonomy. Cotinga 31: 23–46. the sapling’s trunk, halfway up at 2. Greeney, H. F., Manzaba-B., c.40 cm, and was 50 cm above the O. G., Sheldon, K. S. & Andrew Whittaker ground (due to it being on a slight Stawarczyk, T. (2009) Nest Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, CP slope). The incubating female was and egg of the Tyrannine 399, Belém, Pará, Brazil. E-mail: very obvious on top of this tiny Woodcreeper Dendrocincla [email protected]. nest and sat very tight, perhaps tyrannina. Cotinga 31: Guy M. Kirwan suggesting that the eggs were 125–127. 74 Waddington Street, Norwich close to hatching. The eggs (Fig. 2) 3. Hellmayr, C. E. (1910) The NR2 4JS, UK. were pinkish with irregular brown birds of the Rio Madeira. blotching more concentrated at the Novit. Zool. 17: 257–428. Joseph C. Thompson larger end, forming a ring, with 4. Hidalgo, J. R., Ryder, T. B., 1505 North Edgemont Street, Los only tiny brown flecks over the Tori, W. P., Durães, R., Angeles, CA 90027, USA. remainder of the shells. Blake, J. G. & Loiselle, B. A. This first nest description for L. (2008) Nest architecture and Received 8 December 2009; final nattereri almost exactly mirrors placement of three manakin revision accepted 9 February 2010 both the location and architecture species in lowland Ecuador. (published online 16 March 2010) of the other three species in the Cotinga 29: 57–61. genus whose nests have been 5. Marantz, C. A., Aleixo, described, namely Blue-crowned A., Bevier, L. R. & Manakin L. coronata, Golden- Patten, M. A. (2003) crowned Manakin L. vilasboasi Family Dendrocolaptidae and White-fronted Manakin L. (woodcreepers). In: del Hoyo, serena4,7,9. However, moss was J., Elliott, A. & Christie, used in some nests of L. coronata D. A. (eds.) Handbook of velutina from Costa Rica9 and the birds of the world, 8. very infrequently in nests of L. c. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. coronata in eastern Ecuador4, as 6. Oliveira, D. M. M., Rubio, T. well as in the nests of L. serena, C., Oliveira, F. F., Freitas, B. but was absent from this L. A., Campos, S. F. & Albues, nattereri nest. Nests of two of the F. (2009) Avifauna da Parque other Lepidothrix species were Estadual Igarapes-Juruena, sited higher above the ground Mato Grosso. In: Simon, J. E., than the nest described here, but Raposo, M. A., Stopiglia, R. the same was not true for L.