Home range of greater and lesser rhea in Argentina : relevance to conservation

Bellis, Laura M.; Martella, Mónica B.; Navarro, Joaquín L.; Vignolo, Pablo Emilio

doi:10.1007/s10531-004-1086-0

Cited by 40 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 21 publications

(24 reference statements)

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“…However, information on management and conservation of this species is scarce. Recent studies about spacing behavior of rheas show that abundance and distribution of suitable food resource are determinant in their home range size (Bellis et al 2004b); yet, habitat studies on lesser rheas have not been documented. Knowledge of the ecological factors that underlie habitat use and preferences of threatened species is a critical aspect on which management efforts must be focused (Craig 1994;Matthiopoulos 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Habitat preferences of lesser rheas in Argentine Patagonia

et al. 2005

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This work reports the first results of a 3-year study (1998 -2001) on habitat use and preferences by wild lesser rheas (Rhea pennata pennata) in the ecotone Monte-Patagonian steppe of Argentina. Ponds and four different habitat alternatives for lesser rheas were determined using satellite images and different structural vegetation characteristics: steppe, shrubland, shrub steppe, and mallines. Lesser rheas (adults, juveniles and chicks) used all habitats available to feed, although they showed preference for mallines, open areas that offer good visibility and abundant food resource. Rheas used shrub steppe and steppe for nesting, but they did not show preference for either habitat type. Nest site had a higher percentage of vegetation cover than control sites. Lesser rheas apparently preferred concealed sites for nesting since they offer protection from severe climate conditions and from predators. Our results suggest that habitat preference by lesser rheas counterbalances profitability of feeding to the corresponding cost of predation.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Habitat preferences of lesser rheas in Argentine Patagonia

et al. 2005

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“…Por ejemplo, las especies omnívoras registradas (i.e. Rhea americana, Rhynchotus rufescens y Nothura maculosa), son especialistas de estos ambientes donde forrajean y nidifican (Setubal, 1991;Bellis, Martella, Navarro, & Vignolo, 2004), mientras que la abundancia de aves granívoras estaría relacionada a que a este tipo de dieta está claramente asociado a ambientes dominados por gramíneas (Isacch et al, 2003;Zurita & Bellocq, 2012) Los resultados muestran que la estructura del ensamble de aves varía estacionalmente, con una mayor riqueza en la estación reproductiva en ambos hábitats debido al arribo de las especies migrantes, patrón concordante con lo ya descrito para bosques (Cueto & Lopez de Casenave, 2000;Codesido & Bilenca, 2004) y pastizales (Isacch & Martínez, 2001;Isacch et al, 2003) del sur de Sudamérica. El Litoral argentino, que incluye el área de estudio, es considerado una de las vías migratorias más importantes de Argentina, donde la mayoría de las especies migrantes estivales que arriban del cono sur se reproducen (Capllonch, Ortiz, & Soria, 2008;de la Peña, 2013).…”

Section: Discussionunclassified

Comunidades de aves de bosques y pastizales en los afloramientos rocosos aislados del Paraje Tres Cerros, Corrientes, Argentina

Fandiño¹,

Fernández

Thomann

et al. 2017

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Bird communities of forests and grasslands on isolated rocky outcrops in Paraje Tres Cerros, Corrientes, Argentina. Isolated rocky outcrops can act as patch habitats that host great biodiversity through the diversity of microhabitats, presence of restricted taxa and the high turnover of species in the patch matrix. The isolated rocky outcrops of Paraje Tres Cerros (ARPTC), Corrientes, Argentina, are a unique landscape in the region and biologically little explored. We conducted a study to describe for the first time the bird community of the forest and grassland of the ARPTC, using 136 lists following the ten species Mackinnon method from the breeding and non-breeding seasons. We evaluated the diversity, trophic guilds and phenology of the species, and compared attributes of grassland and forest communities. The total species richness was 107, with the forest being 1.3 times more diverse than the grassland. Completeness of inventories ranged from 83-90 % in the grassland and 88 to 99 % in the forest. The habitat complementarity was 62 %, indicating the presence of several species exclusive of forest and grassland habitats. The trophic structure of communities showed a good representation of insectivorous birds in both habitats. Frugivorous birds were more frequent in the forest and granivorous birds were more frequent in the grasslands. Due to the arrival of migrant species, both habitats had significantly higher richness in the breeding season than in the non-breeding season. Our results showed similar general aspects and patterns for bird communities and with specific studies for bird communities of rocky outcrops. The present study highlights the importance of the isolated rocky outcrops of Paraje Tres Cerros for the protection of local and regional bird biodiversity and represents a benchmark for the management and the protection of these ecosystems. Rev. Biol. Trop. 65 (2): 535-550. Epub 2017 June 01.

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“…This strategy has been observed in numerous bird species in poor or unpredictable habitats (Clutton-Brock 1988). Lesser Rheas inhabit arid environments with a comparatively low food availability: their home range is approximately fourfold larger than that of the Greater Rheas in the Pampas (Bellis et al 2004). Also, biomass production in the Patagonia steppe is strongly influenced by inter-annual temperature and rainfall variations (Soriano and Sala 1983).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reproductive success of wild Lesser Rheas (Pterocnemia -Rhea- pennata pennata) in north-western Patagonia, Argentina

2008

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We studied the reproductive success of a wild Lesser Rhea population (Pterocnemia -Rhea-pennata pennata) during two reproductive seasons (2004/2005 and 2005/2006) in north-western Patagonia, Argentina. The parameters recorded included population and nest density, clutch size, hatching success, chick survival (up to 3 months of age) and percentage of chicks that reached the juvenile stage after the winter. We also estimated the percentage of males that attempted to nest and of those that were successful (those producing at least one chick), daily nest mortality rates (DNMR) at different stages of the nesting cycle and the probability that an egg that has been recently laid will produce a chick. On average, both years pooled, the density of this population of Lesser Rheas was 1.55 ± 0.2 individuals/km 2 (SE), nest density was 0.17 ± 0.04 per km 2 , clutch size was 20.8 ± 6.4 eggs, hatching success was 74.4% ± 11.3, Mayfield's probability of an egg that will produce a chick was 0.64, chick survival was 65.4% ± 14.5 and percentage of chicks that reached the juvenile stage was 26.3%. Nearly a quarter of Lesser Rhea males in the population attempted to nest during a breeding season, and the DNMR was significantly higher during the laying stage (most nest failures were due to anthropogenic disturbances related to livestock raising activities). Nesting success, hatching success, and chick survival of Lesser Rheas were higher than those of their most closely related species, the Greater Rhea (Rhea americana), whereas the percentage of chicks that reached the juvenile stage was similar due to high winter mortalities of chicks. We suggest that the increase in reproductive effort is a strategy of this species to overcome environmental constraints.

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Home range of greater and lesser rhea in Argentina : relevance to conservation

Cited by 40 publications

References 21 publications

Habitat preferences of lesser rheas in Argentine Patagonia

Habitat preferences of lesser rheas in Argentine Patagonia

Comunidades de aves de bosques y pastizales en los afloramientos rocosos aislados del Paraje Tres Cerros, Corrientes, Argentina

Reproductive success of wild Lesser Rheas (Pterocnemia -Rhea- pennata pennata) in north-western Patagonia, Argentina

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