SPIZAETUS NEOTROPICAL RAPTOR NETWORK NEWSLETTER ISSUE 23 JUNE 2017 ATHENE CUNICULARIA IN BOLIVIA ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION IN BELIZE ASIO STYGIUS & OTHER OWLS IN COLOMBIA HARPIA HARPYJA IN COSTA RICA SPIZAETUS NRN N EWSLETTER Issue 23 © June 2017 English Edition, ISSN 2157-8958 Cover Photo: Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) photographed in USA © Ron Dudley (www.featheredphotography.com) Translators/Editors: David Araya H., Carlos Cruz González, F. Helena Aguiar-Silva, & Marta Curti Graphic Design: Marta Curti Spizaetus: Neotropical Raptor Network Newsletter. © June 2017 www.neotropicalraptors.org This newsletter may be reproduced, downloaded, and distributed for non-profit, non-commercial purposes. To republish any articles contained herein, please contact the corresponding authors directly. TABLE OF CONTENTS NEW RECORD OF BURROWING OWL (ATHENE CUNICULARIA) IN THE BOLIVIAN AMAZON Enrique Richard, Denise I. Contreras Zapata & Fabio Angeoletto ..............................................2 OUR ENCOUNTER WITH STYGIAN OWL (ASIO STYGIUS) IN THE HUMEDAL DE LA FLORIDA (BOGOTA, COLOMBIA) AND COMMENTS ON ITS NATURAL HISTORY David Ricardo Rodríguez-Villamil,Yeison Ricardo Cárdenas,Santiago Arango-Campuzano, Jeny Andrea Fuentes-Acevedo, Adriana Tovar-Martínez, & Sindy Jineth Gallego-Castro ..................6 IMPORTANT FActORS TO CONSIDER IN A PROTOCOL FOR EVALUATING HARPY EAGLE HARPIA haRPYJA (AccIPITRIFORMES: AccIPITRIDAE) HABITAT IN COSTA RICA Jorge M. De la O & David, Araya-H ...........................................................................11 ENHANCING EDUCATION AWARENESS ABOUT TYTO ALBA IN BELIZE Sharon Matola.........................................................................................................20 OWLS OF THE CUNDINAMARCA DEPARTMENT, COLOMBIA Sergio Chaparro-Herrera .........................................................................................22 OF INTEREST ..............................................................................................29 The NRN is a membership-based organization. Its goal is to aid the research and conservation of Neotropical raptors by promoting communication and collaboration among biologists, raptor enthusiasts, and other conservationists working in the Neotropics. To join please e-mail the NRN coordinator, Marta Curti, at [email protected], stating your interest in Neotropical raptor research and conservation. NEW RECORD OF BUrrOWING OWL (ATHENE CUNICULARIA) IN THE BOLIVIAN AMAZON By Enrique Richard 1, Denise I. Contreras Zapata2 & Fabio Angeoletto3 1Profesor Investigador de Posgrado Universidad Mayor de San Andrés y Universidad Tecnológica Boliviana (La Paz, Bolivia). [email protected], 2Profesora Investigadora de Posgrado Universidad Mayor de San Andrés y Universidad Católica Boliviana (La Paz, Bolivia) [email protected] & 3Profe- sor Permanente e Investigador del Posgrado en Geografía (Maestría) de la Universidad Federal de Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso. Brasil. [email protected] An individual A. cunicularia observed along the edge of the road. Photo © Enrique Richard The Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) is 2011, Gomez et al. 2013), among others (Bal- a small owl with a very wide geographic distri- adrón et al 2016). Although in the Americas the butionT in the Americas. It ranges from Canada species has been associated with fossorial ma- to southern Chile and Argentina (Burn 1999), in- mmals such as prairie dogs (Cynomys spp) in North cluding in human-altered and extremely arid en- America and vizcachas (Lagostomus maximus) and vironments such as the Atacama Desert (Carevic armadillos (Chaetophractus villosus) in South Ame- Page - 2 Issue 22 • June 2017 Relative location of the first (Miserendino 2007) and second (this note) records of Athene cunicularia in the Bolivian Amazon. Note the advance of the agricultural borders (light green) around the roads and records of the species in two large deforested patches of jungle. rica (Machicote et al 2004, Villareal et al. 2005), Amazonian area. The first record for this spe- it is also associated with areas of anthropogenic cies in the Amazon region of Bolivia occurred activity such as suburban and even urban areas in 2007 in the Pando Department, in an area (ER and DCZ pers. obs.), especially those related where the forest had been replaced by grasslands to the agricultural advance on the Amazon jungle for agricultural use. It is important to note that (Gómez et al 2013). several biodiversity surveys (Mise-rendino 2007) had been carried out in the area over the past two In fact, logging in the Amazon, along with ag- decades without previous records for Burrowing ricultural development, has altered the water Owl. cycle and consequently the rains, resulting in a savanization of the Amazon (Oyama and Nobre On 16 June 2015 in the consolidated access road 2003). This, apparently, has allowed this species locally known as “Carretera 19 Extrema” – which to advance into these areas (Gomez et al 2013). runs from the city of Cobija to the Tahuamanu The Burrowing Owl, described as a generalist Biological Station, Amazon University of Pando, and opportunistic raptor (Carevic 2011, Gomez in the town of Mukden – we were able to pho- et al 2013, inter aliis) seems to be expanding its tograph two Burrowing Owls at 10:45 a.m. One distribution along the agricultural frontier in the of them was on a termite mound along the road WWW.NEOTROPICALRAPTORS.ORG PAGE - 3 Panoramic view of the area where we documented to individual Burrowing Owls. Photo © Enrique Richard and the other on a log a very short distance from dered to be birds of bad omen. Probably, because the first one (4-5 m). The observations of these this species is relatively new to the region, the two two individuals occurred at an altitude of 120 m, locals we spoke with identified the Burrowing at the coordinates: 19L 0507484, UTM 8769306 Owl by the name “sumurucucu” a name that in (110 7´ 58,5962” S and 680 55´53,2724” W) (GPS general applies to the native Tropical Screech-owl Garmin Etrex H). This observation is the second (Otus choliba). The Burrowing Owl is known as record for Burrowing Owls in the Department “chiñi” elsewhere in Bolivia. of Pando, in the Bolivian Amazon. This most recent record, while confirming the We met with two local people who indicated that, presence of the species in the Bolivian Amazon like the rest of the owl species, Burrowing Owls and Pando Department, also supports the hy- are heavily persecuted because they are consi- pothesis that the species is expanding in the re- Page - 4 Issue 22 • June 2017 Carevic, F. S. 2011. Rol del pequén (Athene cunicu- laria) como controlador biológico mediante el análisis de sus habitos alimentarios en la Provin- cia de Iquique, norte de Chile. IDESIA (Chile), 29 (1): 15 – 21. Gomes, F. B., M. H. M. Barreiros and T. B. K. Santana 2013. Novos registros da expansão geográfica de Athene cunicularia na Amazônia central com especial referencia as atividades hu- manas. Atualidades Ornitológicas 172: 12 – 14. Machicote, M., L. C. Branch y D. Villareal. 2004. Burrowing owls and burrowing mammals: Are Above: Individual A. cunicularia on a termite mound. ecosystem engineers interchangeable as facilita- Below: Second individual perched on a log, roughly 5 m from the other. Photos © Enrique Richard tors? Oikos 106: 527 - 535. Miserendino, R. S. 2007. Registro del chiñi (Athene gion due to the transformation of the forest into cunicularia) para la Amazonía Boliviana. Kempffi- pastures for agricultural use and the consequent ana 3 (2): 23 - 24. savanization of the Amazon (Miserendino 2007, Oyama, M. D. C. A. Nobre. 2003. A new climate- Gomez et al 2013, inter aliis). vegetation equilibrium, state for Tropical South References America. Geophysical Research Letters 30 (23): Baladrón, A., J. Isacch, M. Cavalli and M. Bó. 2199 - 2203. 2016. Habitat selection by Burrowing Owls Villareal, D., M. Machicote, L. Branch, J. J. Mar- Athene cunicularia in the Pampas of Argentina: A tinez and A. Gopar. 2005. Habitat patch size and multiple-scale assessment. Acta Ornithologica 51 local distribution of burrowing owls (Athene cu- (2016) (2): 137 – 150. nicularia) in Argentina. Ornitología Neotropical Burn, H. 1999. Burrowing Owl/Athene cunicularia. 16: 529 - 537. Pp. 227–228 in del Hoyo, J., A. Elliott, & J. Sar- * * * gatal (eds.). Handbook of the birds of the world. Volume 5: Barn owls to hummingbirds. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, España. WWW.NEOTROPICALRAPTORS.ORG PAGE - 5 OUR ENCOUNTER WITH STYGIAN OWL (ASIO STYGIUS) IN THE HUMEDAL DE LA FLORIDA (BOGOTA, COLOMBIA) AND COMMENTS ON ITS NATURAL HISTORY Por David Ricardo Rodríguez-Villamil 1, 2, 3, 4, Yeison Ricardo Cárdenas, 1, 2, Santiago Arango-Campuzano 1, 2 , Jeny Andrea Fuentes-Acevedo 1, 2, Adriana Tovar-Martínez 2 , & Sindy Jineth Gallego-Castro 1, 2. 1Grupo de Ornitología de la Universidad Pedagógica Nacional (UPN-O). 2 Departamento de Biología de la Univer- sidad Pedagógica Nacional. 3 Énfasis Biología de la Conservación (UPN). 4. Asociación Colombiana de Ornitología. Autor de correspondencia David Ricardo Rodríguez-Villamil, email: [email protected] The Stygian Owl (Asio stygius) (Wagler species of high research priority. It is strictly noc- 1832) is a large owl, reaching between 38 and 46 turnal, rare and local in its distribution. It inhabits cm.T It is robust and dark with few spots. Its abdo- humid mountain forests, primary and secondary men is opaque with thick “fishbone” markings. It forest, forest edges, open areas, scrubs with tall, has conspicuous