Effect of land use in seasonal abundance of Eared Dove (Zenaida auriculata) in Southwestern Brazil

Abstract

Changes at the landscape scale associated with expansion in agricultural land use and changes in agricultural practices are common causes of alteration in patterns of abundance and composition of avian communities. Eared Dove (Zenaida auriculata -Des Murs, 1847) is among the most common species in the Neotropics, considered both as game and pest in some countries. Here we characterized the regional and seasonal patterns of Eared Doves abundance in Southwestern Brazil and examined the relationship between landscape features and these abundance patterns. We counted Eared Doves using the point count system along routes in summer and winter and recorded land use at two scales. We used linear regressions to model the effect of landscape matrix and land use at local scale with Doves abundance in two seasons. At the landscape scale, in winter, the abundance was greater in routes crossing landscapes dominated by plantations. In summer, it was lower in routes with large tracts of forests and mixed farming. While in winter, at the local scale, the Doves abundance was greater in routes with higher frequency of maize plantations, in summer higher abundances were observed in routes with higher frequency of sugar cane and soybean plantations. Agricultural settings, which include both sustained production of food in the form of grains as well as and large stretches of habitat suitable for reproduction, favor large population of Eared Doves.Keywords: agricultural landscape, seasonal dove abundance, Atlantic forest fragmentation, habitat correlations, Zenaida auriculata.Efeito do uso do solo na abundância sazonal de pombas-de-bando (Zenaida auriculata) no sudoeste do Brasil ResumoMudanças em escala de paisagem associadas à expansão das áreas destinadas à agricultura e às mudanças nas práticas agrícolas são consideradas importantes causas de alterações nos padrões de composição das comunidades de aves. A pomba-de-bando (Zenaida auriculata -Des Murs, 1847) é uma espécie comum na região Neotropical, sendo considerada tanto um recurso cinegético quanto uma peste agrícola em alguns países. Neste trabalho nós caracterizamos os padrões regionais e sazonais de distribuição populacional de pombas-de-bando em áreas agrícolas do sudoeste do Brasil e examinamos a relação entre características da paisagem e padrões de abundância de pombas. Coletamos os dados em transecções com pontos de contagem, alocados em estradas vicinais, percorridas no verão e no inverno. Utilizamos dados sobre as características da paisagem em duas escalas. Através de análises de regressões lineares modelamos o efeito da paisagem e do uso da terra na abundância de pombas nas duas estações. Na escala da paisagem, no inverno, a abundância foi maior em áreas com predomínio de agricultura. No verão a abundância foi menor em áreas com grandes extensões de florestas e agropecuária. Em relação ao uso do solo, no inverno a abundância de pombas foi maior em regiões com maior frequência de plantações de milho, enquanto no verão, a maior abundância esteve associada à mai...

West Nile Virus in the State of Ceará, Northeast Brazil

“…The Eared dove ( Zenaida auriculata ), which is locally called Avoante is commonly seen in flock gatherings during the rainy season, where it forms breeding colonies in the northeast region of Brazil. It has been classified as migratory species and moves in response to rain movements in the Caatinga, where it appears soon after March in southern CE [ 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 ]. Eared dove is occasionally hunted in Boa Viagem and the eight year old girl who was seropositive for WNV reported consumption of Eared dove meat between April and September 2019.…”

Threatened neotropical birds are big, ecologically specialized, and found in less humanized refuge areas

“…On the other hand, humanized environments can offer advantages for adapted birds. For example, Zenaida auriculata, has been noted for its ability to adapt to agricultural areas even depending on them (Silva et al 2018). Phalcoboenus chimango, is widely known in South America as an excellent model of adaptation and use of anthropized environments, through its natural history, it went from being a locally threatened species to a competitor with other cosmopolitan urban birds such as Passer domesticus (Soto-Saravia et al 2017).…”

Full Issue

“…In Brazil, it occurs throughout, but is rarer or absent in the best-forested parts of Amazonia , Ortúzar-Ferreira et al 2022. Although it endures hunting pressure in some regions, the species has benefitted from deforestation and increased grain supply from agriculture (Silva & Guadagnin 2018, Ortúzar-Ferreira et al 2022. Eared Dove's ecology is relatively well known, including its breeding (e.g., Wetmore 1926, Belcher & Smooker 1936, Daguerre 1936, Bond 1941, Hellebrekers 1942, Marchant 1960, Bucher & Nores 1973, Murton et al 1974, Bucher & Gómez 1977, Bucher & Orueta 1977, Carman 1979, Wiley 1991, Azpiroz 2001, Cisnero-Heredias 2006, Segura et al 2016, de la Peña 2019, Maldonado et al 2020, with abundant data from Brazil (Ihering 1900, Dias da Rocha 1911, Ihering 1935, Pinto 1949, Aguirre 1972, Bucher 1982, Belton 1984, Antas 1987a, Donatelli 2000, Buzzetti & Silva 2008, Ramos & Maria 2012, Guaraldo & Gussoni 2015, Braz & Silva 2017.…”