The breeding biology and nest success of the Short-tailed Antthrush Chamaeza campanisona (Aves: Formicariidae) in the Atlantic rainforest of northeastern Brazil

Abstract

ABSTRACT. We present the results of a 26-year study on the breeding biology of the Short-tailed Antthrush, Chamaeza campanisona (Lichtenstein, 1823) in an Atlantic rainforest remnant of northeastern Brazil (Alagoas/Pernambuco). We followed the fate of 38 nests, of which 19 failed, 11 succeeded and 8 had an unknown fate. The presence of most nests coincided with the beginning of the rainy season in March/April but nests with eggs and/or chicks were found throughout the year, with no records only in January. Nests were placed inside natural tree cavities that result from broken branches and trunks. Both parents were engaged in feeding the chicks, their diet consisted mainly of insects, spiders, and some unidentified berries. All nests had a clutch size of two eggs. Incubation took 19 days and the mean nestling period was 20.75 days. Mayfield (1975) showed a survival rate of 31.87% and MARK 24.09%. Hotelling's T 2 revealed no differences in nest characteristics between successful and failed nests (p-value > 0.05). Linear models showed that the size of the entrance of the cavity and its height from ground are the main nest characteristics influencing the nesting success of C. campanisona.

Nesting biology of the Narrow-billed Woodcreeper (Lepidocolaptes angustirostris) in a southern temperate forest of central-east Argentina

“…This variance may be due to low availability of cavities with better conditions for a cavity-nesting bird (i.e. cavities with smaller entrances and higher above the ground - Cockle et al 2015;Studer et al 2018) that force Narrow-billed Woodcreeper to use non-optimal cavities which would increase predation rates. Moreover, other features such as parental behavior (Cockle et al 2015), canopy connectivity (Britt et al 2014) or nest age (Brightsmith 2005), may influence nest daily survival rates of cavity-nesting birds.…”

Full Issue

“…Long breeding seasons overlapping both the wet and dry seasons have been reported for many species that occur at Quebrangulo, e.g. Short-tailed Antthrush Chamaeza campanisona (Studer et al 2018), Scalloped Antbird Myrmoderus ruficauda (Studer et al 2017) and Black-cheeked Gnateater Conopophaga melanops (Studer in prep. ), among others (Studer et al 2015).…”

Massive Bird Nest Losses: A Neglected Threat for Passerine Birds in Atlantic Forest Fragments from the Pernambuco Endemism Center

“…Within the scenario of extreme fragmentation of the PEC, some of the biggest and most important fragments are Pedra Talhada Biological Reserve (4500 ha), Engenho Coimbra, Usina Serra Grande (4300 ha), and Murici Ecological Station (6116 ha), which are also in the state of Alagoas and are considered as IBAs (Important Bird Areas) by BirdLife International [51]. For Pedra Talhada, valuable bird breeding biology information is available, including nest survival information for a few species [30,31], while Serra Grande and Murici Ecological Station should be in the scope of future works. Then, the best option to interpret the effects of forest fragmentation in the PEC is through comparisons with data from the continuous Atlantic Forest tracts from southeastern Brazil, with some larger fragments from the PEC, as well as with other tropical forest biomes, especially when information from the same bird species or congeners are available.…”

“…Field work was conducted from September to May during 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 because these are the warmer months in which the days are longer, and some evidence from species-specific studies suggests that these months correspond to the seasons of higher bird reproductive activities in the region [30,31]. Nests were searched ad libitum by walking across the whole areas and were located based on evidence of parental individuals defending territories, carrying nest material, or delivering food to the nestlings and also by thoroughly inspecting the vegetation [32].…”