A New Species of Amaurospiza Blue Seedeater From Venezuela

Lentino, Miguel; Restall, Robin

doi:10.1642/0004-8038(2003)120[0600:ansoab]2.0.co;2

Cited by 11 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…The birds recorded may be in transit to or searching for bamboo patches. For example, Lentino and Restall (2003) suggested that most sightings of Amaurospiza blue seedeaters away from bamboo could be of birds in movement from one patch of seed-bearing bamboo to another.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Specialization on Guadua Bamboo Seeds by Three Bird Species in the Atlantic Forest of Argentina

2009

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Most bamboos are semelparous. Their synchronous masting events occur on a cycle of 3–120 yr and represent an extremely pulsed resource for granivorous birds. Although many bird species feed occasionally on bamboo seeds, there are constraints to specializing on such a fluctuating resource and few bird species are known to specialize on bamboo seeds. Three of these bird species are endemic to the Atlantic forest of South America: the purple‐winged ground‐dove Claravis godefrida, buff‐fronted seedeater Sporophila frontalis, and Temminck's seedeater Sporophila falcirostris. All three species are irregularly recorded in the province of Misiones, Argentina. We compared the temporal and spatial patterns of records of these birds in Misiones to masting events of the five common bamboos: yatevóGuadua trinii, takuaruzúGuadua chacoensis, takuapíMerostachys claussenii, pitinga Chusquea tenella, and takuarembóChusquea ramosissima. All bird records coincided with times and places where Guadua bamboos (G. trinii and G. chacoensis) were known or estimated to have seeds. None of the bird species occurred during masting events of Merostachys or Chusquea, unless Guadua was also masting. We discuss relevant ecological and morphological features of the birds that might bear on their association with Guadua bamboos and that might be key to their conservation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Bamboo specialization is a prominent feature of the Neotropical avifauna. Avian bamboo specialists occur from the southern temperate forests of Patagonia to the northern tropical rain forests (Lentino & Restall 2003, Reid et al 2004). More than 90 species of Neotropical birds in seven families were classified by Stotz et al (1996) as bamboo-associated.…”

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Specialization on Guadua Bamboo Seeds by Three Bird Species in the Atlantic Forest of Argentina

2009

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“…Despite their vernacular name, the Amaurospiza 'seedeaters' are considered bamboospecialized mixed strategists: they are most often found in bamboos in vegetative state feeding on buds, shoots and petioles (Bertoni 1919, Areta et al 2016 and insects, and can take advantage of the superabundance of seeding bamboos (Restall et al 2006). The unique flared basal tomia of the maxilla in Amaurospiza (Lentino & Restall 2003) may help to smash vegetable matter and seems to constitute an adaptation to bud and shoot foraging. As mixedstrategists, Amaurospiza species may take advantage of episodic events of massive bamboo seeding, but regardless of their ability to exploit mastings, population numbers should decrease locally after such masting events, prompting individuals to wander in search of vegetative bamboo habitats (Areta & Cockle 2012, Areta et al 2016.…”

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“…The Blackish-blue Seedeater Amaurospiza moesta dwells in the Atlantic Forest of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay, and is apparently patchily distributed across the forest enclaves of the Cerrado of Brazil (Partridge 1954, Sick 1997, Curcino & Feraboli 2010, Lopes et al 2011; the recently described Carrizal Seedeater Amaurospiza carrizalensis is known from just a handful of localities in southeastern Venezuela (Lentino & Restall 2003); and the geographically variable Blue Seedeater Amaurospiza concolor is distributed patchily in forested environments from Mexico to Peru (Fig. 1, Howell & Webb 1995, Ridgely & Greenfield 2001, Lentino & Restall 2003. Three subspecies have been consistently recognized within A. concolor: concolor from Panama to southern Mexico, relicta in southwest Mexico and aequatorialis extending from southwest Colombia to northwest Peru (Hellmayr 1938, Howell & Webb 1995, Lentino & Restall 2003.…”

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“…Species and subspecies limits in Amaurospiza have primarily been based on subtle colour differences and variations in bill shape and size (Cabanis 1861, Sharpe 1888, Hellmayr 1904, Griscom 1934, Orr & Ray 1945). Yet these same characters have been considered conserved in the genus, resulting in a fairly homogeneous group (Lentino & Restall 2003). As a consequence, the taxonomy of Amaurospiza has been largely idiosyncratic and based strictly on museum specimen data, with no reference to natural history or vocalizations of the forms involved.…”

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Phylogenetic relationships and systematics of the bamboo‐specialistAmaurospizablue seedeaters

Areta

Saldívar

Lentino

et al. 2023

Ibis

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The Amaurospiza ‘seedeaters’ are bamboo‐specialized mixed strategists, most often found in bamboos in vegetative state, feeding on buds, shoots, petioles and insects. As bamboos die after flowering, birds may wander in search of live vegetative bamboo. The three currently recognized species of Amaurospiza are allopatrically distributed: the Blackish‐blue Seedeater Amaurospiza moesta in the Atlantic Forest of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay, and in forest enclaves in the Cerrado; the recently described Carrizal Seedeater Amaurospiza carrizalensis known from a few localities in southeastern Venezuela; and the Blue Seedeater Amaurospiza concolor distributed patchily from Mexico to Peru. Three subspecies are recognized within A. concolor: relicta in southwest Mexico, concolor from southern Mexico to Panama and aequatorialis from southwest Colombia to northwest Peru. Full species status has been advocated for relicta and aequatorialis but evidence supporting their recognition is weak, while relicta was described in the monospecific genus Amaurospizopsis. Here we (1) test the monophyly of Amaurospiza, (2) reconstruct the phylogenetic relationships of all its constituent taxa using mitochondrial and nuclear markers, (3) re‐assess species limits in Amaurospiza with the aid of vocalizations and genetic and plumage data, and (4) discuss the link between bamboo life history, biogeographical patterns and extent of genetic differentiation. Amaurospiza was found to be monophyletic in both the ND2 and multilocus analyses. In the ND2 tree A. moesta and A. carrizalensis were sister to each other, A. concolor was found to be paraphyletic because aequatorialis was placed as sister to moesta–carrizalensis, and a clade including nominate concolor and relicta was sister to all the other taxa. The multilocus tree showed the same relationships, but lacked nuclear samples of relicta. Mean ND2 pairwise distance between concolor and aequatorialis (8.3%) was greater than that between moesta and carrizalensis (5.7%), while relicta diverged on average 1.0% from nominate concolor. The South American clade has more slender bills and white underwing coverts, while the Central American clade has thicker bills and bluish underwing coverts. All taxa exhibited typical Amaurospiza songs with quickly delivered, warbled, pure and fairly high‐pitched musical notes. Number of inflections/second exhibited a stepped pattern, with concolor and relicta on the lower end and carrizalensis, aequatorialis and moesta on the upper end. Similarly, moesta, carrizalensis and aequatorialis had overall more inflections per note than concolor and relicta. Linear discriminant analysis using nine acoustic variables correctly assigned all 62 songs to the correct taxon. Morphology, plumage, vocalizations and phylogenetic data indicate that aequatorialis should be afforded full species status as the Ecuadorian Seedeater (A. aequatorialis), suggest keeping relicta as a subspecies of A. concolor and support continued recognition of A. carrizalensis. Our data support merging Amaurospizopsis into Amaurospiza.

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A theoretical framework for understanding the ecology and conservation of bamboo-specialist birds

Areta

Cockle

2012

J Ornithol

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A New Species of Amaurospiza Blue Seedeater From Venezuela

Cited by 11 publications

References 3 publications

Specialization on Guadua Bamboo Seeds by Three Bird Species in the Atlantic Forest of Argentina

Specialization on Guadua Bamboo Seeds by Three Bird Species in the Atlantic Forest of Argentina

Phylogenetic relationships and systematics of the bamboo‐specialistAmaurospizablue seedeaters

A theoretical framework for understanding the ecology and conservation of bamboo-specialist birds

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