Annual Patterns of Molt and Reproductive Activity of Passerines in South-Central Brazil Author(s) :Miguel  Marini and Renata Durães Source: The Condor, 103(4):767-775. 2001. Published By: Cooper Ornithological Society DOI: URL: http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.1650/0010-5422%282001%29103%5B0767%3AAPOMAR %5D2.0.CO%3B2 BioOne (www.bioone.org) is a a nonprofit, online aggregation of core research in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences. BioOne provides a sustainable online platform for over 170 journals and books published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses. Your use of this PDF, the BioOne Web site, and all posted and associated content indicates your acceptance of BioOne’s Terms of Use, available at www.bioone.org/page/terms_of_use. Usage of BioOne content is strictly limited to personal, educational, and non-commercial use. Commercial inquiries or rights and permissions requests should be directed to the individual publisher as copyright holder. BioOne sees sustainable scholarly publishing as an inherently collaborative enterprise connecting authors, nonprofit publishers, academic institutions, research libraries, and research funders in the common goal of maximizing access to critical research. The Condor 103:767±775 q The Cooper Ornithological Society 2001 ANNUAL PATTERNS OF MOLT AND REPRODUCTIVE ACTIVITY OF PASSERINES IN SOUTH-CENTRAL BRAZIL MIGUEL Aà .MARINI1 AND RENATA DURAÄ ES Departamento de Biologia Geral, ICB-Instituto de CieÃncias BioloÂgicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, C.P. 486, 30161-970, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil Abstract. We analyzed the occurrence of molt and brood patches in resident passerines from four localities in south-central Brazil. The annual patterns of molt and reproductive activity were very similar among the sites. Brood patches ®rst appeared in August, but were most common between October and January, with a peak in November, early in the rainy season. Molt started in October but was most widespread from the middle to the end of the rainy season, between December and April with a peak in February. Timing of the appear- ance of brood patches was not related to trophic guild (insectivores, frugivores, omnivores). Molt of ¯ight feathers started at the end of the reproductive period, which varied slightly among trophic guilds. Molt and brood patch overlap occurred in little more than 4% of individual birds, or in less than 2% considering just those molting ¯ight feathers. This overlap occurred mostly between November and February. Regional environmental factors, instead of local factors, seem to be responsible for the annual breeding and molt patterns of the considered species. Key words: Atlantic forest, Brazil, cerrado region, molt, passerine birds, reproduction. PadroÄes Anuais de Muda e Atividade Reprodutiva de Passeriformes na RegiaÄo Centro-Sul do Brasil Resumo. Este estudo analisa a ocorreÃncia de muda de penas e reproducËaÄo em Passeri- formes residentes em quatro localidades na regiaÄo centro-sul do Brasil. A atividade repro- dutiva foi inferida a partir da presencËa de placas de incubacËaÄo ativas. Os padroÄes anuais de muda e reproducËaÄo apresentaram-se bastante similares entre as regioÄes estudadas. Placas de incubacËaÄo comecËaram a ser detectadas em agosto, sendo mais comuns entre outubro e janeiro, com um pico em novembro, no inõÂcio da estacËaÄo chuvosa. O principal perõÂodo de mudas comecËou em outubro, sendo mais intensas nos dois tercËos ®nais da estacËaÄo chuvosa, entre dezembro e abril, com um pico em fevereiro. Os padroÄes de ocorreÃncia de reproducËaÄo e mudas apresentaram pequenas diferencËas entre diferentes guildas alimentares, e, de modo geral, o inõÂcio do perõÂodo de mudas esteve relacionado ao ®m do perõÂodo reprodutivo. SobreposicËaÄo entre mudas e placas de incubacËaÄo foi detectada em pouco mais de 4% do total de indivõÂduos analisados, ou em menos de 2%, quando apenas indivõÂduos mudando penas de voÃo foram considerados. Esta sobreposicËaÄo ocorreu principalmente entre novembro e fevereiro. Os padroÄes ambientais regionais, mais que os locais, parecem in¯uenciar os ciclos anuais das espeÂcies analisadas. INTRODUCTION nual cycle of birds is obtained by a mutual ad- The biology of molt and reproduction are inti- justment, in which breeding affects molt as molt mately related in the annual cycles of birds affects breeding (Langston and Rohwer 1996). (Snow 1976, Poulin et al. 1992). The extra en- Our understanding, however, of how this ®ne ergy demanded by these activities exerts an evo- and complex adjustment takes place is far from lutionary pressure for their occurrence during complete, since different patterns have evolved the most favorable time of the year and for the among species and regions (Payne 1972). minimization of overlap between them (Foster Long-term studies about molt of Neotropical 1975). The timing of both events during the an- birds are rare, and most of them emphasize ob- servations about molt sequence (Wagner 1955), occasional molt records (Oniki 1981, Dyrcz Manuscript received 17 June 2000; accepted 14 June 1987), or records for single species (Miller 2001. 1961, Davis 1971, Mallet-Rodrigues et al. 1995, 1 Present address: Departamento de Zoologia, IB, Universidade de BrasõÂlia (UnB), 70.910-900, BrasõÂlia, Valente 2000). Reproduction of Neotropical DF, Brazil. E-mail: [email protected] birds also has received relatively little attention [767] 768 MIGUEL Aà . MARINI AND RENATA DURAÄ ES (Skutch 1968, Oniki and Willis 1982, Cruz and Andrews 1989). In addition, molt and reproduc- tion rarely have been studied together in the an- nual cycles of bird communities (Snow 1976, Poulin et al. 1992, Piratelli et al. 2000). Studies of the occurrence of molt and repro- duction at the community level may indicate general patterns on the annual cycle of birds at a local level, and may help us to understand how these activities relate to each other and to local environmental characteristics. Here, we describe the annual patterns of molt and breeding activ- ity, indicated by the occurrence of brood patch- es, in passerines residing mostly in forests with- in the cerrado region of south-central Brazil. Trophic guilds are compared to evaluate whether these patterns are affected by diet. Finally, by comparing four sites, we evaluate whether molt and breeding patterns are determined at a local or regional level. METHODS STUDY AREA We conducted this study in gallery, semi-decid- uous, and mesic forests of Minas Gerais State and the Federal District of Brazil. In Minas Ge- rais, three regions were sampled: (1) Belo Ho- rizonte: forest fragments within the Water Man- agement Areas of Barreiro, Mutuca, and Ta- booÄes owned by the Companhia de Saneamento de Minas Gerais (218009S, 448009W, 800±900 m elevation); (2) UberlaÃndia: forest fragments within private cattle farms (188579S, 488129W, 800 m); and (3) Canastra: two study sites 65 km apart, including a gallery forest owned by the FIGURE 1. Location of the study sites in Minas Ge- Companhia EleÂtrica de Minas Gerais (208409S, rais State and Federal District. GO 5 GoiaÂs State; MG 468199W, 900 m), and natural forest patches 5 Minas Gerais State; DF 5 Federal District; UB 5 UberlaÃndia; CA 5 Canastra (2 sites); BH 5 Belo Ho- within the Parque Nacional da Serra da Canastra rizonte. (228009S, 468459W, 1033±1493 m). Three gal- lery forests were sampled in the fourth region, BrasõÂlia, including two at the Fazenda A gua Limpa, owned by the Universidade de BrasõÂlia Horizonte sites, which lie at the transition be- (158589S, 478569W, 1100 m), and one at the Re- tween the cerrado and the Atlantic Forest biome serva BioloÂgica do Instituto Brasileiro de Geo- (Veloso 1966, Ab'Saber 1977). gra®a e EstatõÂstica (IBGE; 158569S, 478549W, Climate of the cerrado region is seasonal, with 1100 m; Fig. 1). a rainy warm season between October and The cerrado biome is a savanna-like ecosys- March and a dry cool season between April and tem of open vegetation formations, from grass- September. The rainiest months are December lands to dense scrub, as well as gallery forests and January and the driest are June, July, and in wetter areas and dry forests in rich-soil areas August. Temperature ranges from 18±248C, with (Eiten 1978, Ferri 1981). All localities sampled a mean of 218C. Monthly precipitation ranges lie within the cerrado biome, except for the Belo from 9 to 320 mm, with mean annual total of captured with 36-mm,34 months 12 overvarying six from years nine (TableFebruary months 1). 2000, over Birds with four were different yearsData efforts up in were each to site, collectedDATA between COLLECTION March 1986 and to Nacional de Meteorologia1500 1992). mm at all localities sampled (Departamen- [Turdinae], Emberizidae, and Troglodytidae), the ilies Tyrannidae, somewhich Pipridae, only the Muscicapidae femalescluded; incubate the and eggs``green'' (3) (female-plumaged) (fam- individuals were for in- whose monomorphic immature specieszidae, males in and resemble Cotingidae). Forwere females, manakins considered (Pipridae) all (familiesthe Tyrannidae, females Emberi- incubate the(2) for eggs, sexually only dimorphic the speciesVireonidae, females in Dendrocolaptidae, which and only Furnariidae); nocryptidae, Formicariidae, Conopophagidae, both sexesall incubate captured thebation individuals strategies: eggs (1) for We included (familieslowing species in the method Rhi- analyses in forof which species birds with with brood differentimize patches, incu- we error adopted