104 THE WILSON BULLETIN x Vol. 116, No. 1, March 2004 Wilson Bulletin, 116(1), 2004, pp. 104±105 First Breeding Record of Wilson's Plover (Charadrius wilsonia) from the Paci®c Coast of Colombia Alan Giraldo,1,4 Carlos HernaÂndez,2 Carolina GoÂmez,3 Fernando Castillo,2 and Jorge E. Saavedra2 ABSTRACT.ÐWilson's Plover (Charadrius wilson- for Colombia's Paci®c coast (Hilty and Brown ia) occurs year-round along the Caribbean and Paci®c 1986, Salaman et al. 2001). coasts of Colombia. The species frequents a variety of On 13 May 1993, we participated in a coastal habitats including sandy beaches, tidal ¯ats, and small swamps and wetlands. Its breeding range shorebird survey of Punta Soldado Island, extends from Virginia south through the West Indies Buenaventura Bay (038 499 550 N, 778 089 400 to Surinam, and from Baja California to Peru. Here, W), conducted by the Association for the we report the ®rst nesting record on the Paci®c coast Study and Conservation of Aquatic Birds in of Colombia. Received 14 June 2003, accepted 10 Colombia (CALIDRIS). Punta Soldado beach- March 2004. es are essentially unaffected by tides (possibly ¯ooded once per year), are sparsely vegetated, and serve as roosting and foraging sites for All three sub-species of Wilson's Plover numerous migratory shorebirds and terns (Charadrius wilsonia wilsonia, C. w. beldingi, (Aparicio et al. 1996, Naranjo and Mauna and C. w. cinnamoninus) have been recorded 1996). We observed two C. wilsonia adults in Colombia. The ®rst records (C. w. wilsonia (male and female) exhibiting defensive behav- and C. w. cinnamoninus) came from Colom- iors in the berm zone of the beach. From a bia's Caribbean coast. These observations in- distance of approximately 20 m, we observed cluded breeding displays, but no nests were the male plover perform head-up displays ac- found (Naranjo 1979). On the Paci®c coast, companied by tweet calls while the female Wilson's Plovers (C. w. wilsonia and C. w. plover adopted a squatting posture. Subse- beldingi) were ®rst reported during a study of quently, we observed three Wilson's Plover chronological distribution and habitat selec- chicks 0.5 m from the female. As we ap- tion of shorebirds at Buenaventura Bay (Nar- proached more closely, the male responded anjo et al. 1987). Although population esti- with a short crouch-run and the female re- mates of resident Wilson's Plovers along Co- sponded with a stationary broken-wing dis- lombia's Paci®c coast have ranged into the play accompanied by a buzzy distraction call hundreds (Franke 1986, Naranjo et al. 1987, (see Bergstrom 1988 for description of alarm Aparicio et al. 1996, Naranjo and Mauna and distraction displays). These observations 1996) and the species has been considered a con®rm breeding of Wilson's Plovers on the coastal breeder from Baja California to Peru Paci®c coast of Colombia. (Johnsgard 1981, Hayman et al. 1986, Cane- vari et al. 2001), there are no breeding records ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We are grateful to CALIDRIS for logistical support and to the Paci®c Naval Force of Colombia for allow- 1 Univ. del Valle, Dep. de BiologõÂa, A.A. 25360, ing access to Punta Soldado Island. We thank P. W. Cali, Colombia. Bergstrom, C. A. Corbat, and O. W. Johnson for re- 2 AsociacioÂn para el Estudio y la ConservacioÂn de viewing an earlier version of this manuscript. las Aves AcuaÂticas en Colombia, CALIDRIS, Cra. 24F Oeste No. 3±110, Cali, Colombia. LITERATURE CITED 3 Univ. AutoÂnoma de Occidente, Programa de Ad- ministracioÂn del Ambiente y de los Recursos Natura- APARICIO, A., F. CASTILLO, AND L. G. NARANJO. 1996. les, Campus Valle del Lili, Calle 25 No. 115±85, Cali, VariacioÂn estacional del peso y el plumaje de dos Colombia. especies de chorlos (Charadrius wilsonius y 4 Corresponding author; e-mail: Charadrius semipalmatus) en la BahõÂa de Bue- [email protected] naventura, Colombia. BoletõÂn EcotroÂpica 30:1±13. SHORT COMMUNICATIONS 105 BERGSTROM, P. W. 1988. Breeding displays and vocal- JOHNSGARD, P. A. 1981. The plovers, sandpipers, and izations of Wilson's Plovers. Wilson Bulletin 100: snipes of the world. University of Nebraska Press, 36±49. Lincoln. CANEVARI, P., G. CASTRO,M.SALLABERRY, AND L. G. NARANJO, L. G. 1979. Primer registro de Charadrius NARANJO. 2001. GuõÂa de los chorlos y playeros de wilsonia wilsonia Ord para Colombia. Lozania la regioÂn Neotropical. American Bird Conservan- Acta ZooloÂgica Colombiana 30:64. cy, WWF-US, Humedales para las Americas, NARANJO, L. G., J. W. BELTRAN,R.FRANKE,L.PELAEZ, Manomet Conservation Science, and AsociacioÂn AND A. SANCHEZ. 1987. Notas preliminares sobre CALIDRIS. Santiago de Cali, Colombia. las aves de la BahõÂa de Buenaventura. BoletõÂn FRANKE, R. 1986. DistribucioÂn cronoloÂgica y uso ha- EcotroÂpica 17:25±39. bitacional de los chorlos (Aves: Scolopacidae- NARANJO,L.G.AND J. E. MAUNA. 1996. Segregation Charadriidae) en la BahõÂa de Buenaventura. Tesis of roosting habitat in migratory shorebirds on the Pregrado, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia. Paci®c coast of Colombia. Wader Study Group HAYMAN, P., J. MARCHANT, AND T. P RATER. 1986. Bulletin 8:52±54. Shorebirds: an identi®cation guide to the waders SALAMAN, P., T. CUADROS,J.G.JARAMILLO, AND H. of the world. Houghton Mif¯in, Boston, Massa- WEBER. 2001. Lista de chequeo de las aves de chusetts. Colombia. Sociedad AntioquenÄa de OrnitologõÂa, HILTY,S.L.AND W. L. BROWN. 1986. A guide to the MedellõÂn, Colombia. birds of Colombia. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey. Wilson Bulletin, 116(1), 2004, pp. 105±108 First Description of the Nest, Eggs, Young, and Breeding Behavior of the Great Antpitta (Grallaria excelsa) Eric M. Kofoed1,3 and Sonya K. Auer2 ABSTRACT.ÐWe provide the ®rst description of Antpittas (Formicariidae) are a diverse the nest, eggs, young, and breeding behavior of the group of terrestrial antbirds inhabiting the Great Antpitta (Grallaria excelsa) in Yacambu Nation- Neotropics, yet the breeding biology of many al Park, Venezuela. The nests (n 5 3) were large, bulky, open-cup structures composed of a dense as- species is unknown due to their secretive hab- sortment of live and dead mosses, rootlets, wet leaves, its and preference for dense understory. The small stems, detritus, and live and dead fern fronds, Great Antpitta (Grallaria excelsa) is a large and were lined with a thick mesh of black rootlets and (218±266 g), rare species endemic to mid-el- rhizomorphs. Nests were built .3.8 m above the evation (1,700±2,300 m), wet, humid forests ground in live trees where dense clusters of aroid of Venezuela (Gilliard 1939, Ridgely and Tu- plants, epiphytes, and lianas secured them to either a vertical fork or against the trunk itself. Both adults dor 1994, Hilty et al. 2003). While a few as- participated in nest building; incubating two un- pects of its ecology have been reported (Hilty marked, turquoise eggs; and feeding nestlings. Mean et al. 2003), its nest and breeding behavior are nest attentiveness (time spent on the nest/total video still unknown. Here, we describe nesting ac- time when corrected for human disturbance) was 98.8 tivity and characteristics of three nests found 6 1.8% SD, and nestling feeding rates were low (one in May and June 2003 in montane, wet, pri- visit by each adult/5 hr total video time). Received 10 September 2003, accepted 25 March 2004. mary forest in Yacambu National Park, Lara State, Venezuela (098 249 N, 698 309 W; 1,800±2,000 m elevation). During the dry months of March and April 1 Dept. of Pediatrics, Oregon Health & Science 2003, we observed G. excelsa foraging in can- Univ., 3181 S.W. Sam Jackson Park Rd., Portland, OR yons, on ridges, and in swampy areas through- 97239, USA. 2 Montana Coop. Wildlife Research Unit, Univ. of out the forest (approximate canopy height 5 Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA. 25 m). Later in the season (May and June), 3 Corresponding author; e-mail: [email protected] individuals were observed exclusively in close 106 THE WILSON BULLETIN x Vol. 116, No. 1, March 2004 proximity to the junctions of ephemeral creeks The ®rst nest was found on 25 May and created during periods of greater precipitation. monitored for 13 days during the incubation Often we located adults by their songÐa sin- period until it was depredated. The nest con- gle phrase, repeated at regular intervals (10- tained two turquoise, unmarked, slightly sec pauses between phrases), and character- glossy, oval-shaped eggs. One egg weighed ized as a resonant, hollow, Otus-like tone that 17.09 g and measured 38.0 3 30.0 mm. The increased in frequency (710±820 Hz; 4±5 sec second weighed 17.64 g and measured 37.4 3 phrases; 22 notes/sec; all measurements made 30.0 mm. We videotaped the nest three times with Raven software; spectrograms made with during monitoring for 5±8 hr per recording ep- a 200-Hz bandwidth and Hann window func- isode (28 May, 10:10±17:40 AST; 30 May, tion). Most birds sang from a fallen tree or 08:20±16:30; 05 June, 08:00±13:16). Video- perch ,4 m in height. More frequently, we tapes showed that both the male and female located adults as they foraged silentlyÐalone participated in incubation; exchange of incu- or in pairsÐalong creeks, on the edges of bating parents occurred simultaneously in 2 of treefall gaps, and near large, fallen trees. They 11 instances. Mean on-bout duration was 92.3 foraged exclusively on the ground, moving in 6 41.5 min SD (n 5 12 on-bouts; range: 36± quick, short starts, and usually hopping on 160 min; 1,207 min total video time; 3 days both legs.