Nesting success and productivity of the Rufous-collared Sparrow (Zonotrichia capensis) in a woodland of Buenos Aires province (Argentina)
The Rufous-collared Sparrow (Zonotrichia capensis) is one of the most widely distributed Neotropical passerine. In this paper we analyzed the nesting success of a Rufous-collared Sparrow population nesting at a woodland area in the central-eastern Argentina (Buenos Aires province). We also assessed...
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| Autores principales: | , |
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| Formato: | JOUR |
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| Acceso en línea: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_10754377_v18_n4_p481_Fernandez |
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| Sumario: | The Rufous-collared Sparrow (Zonotrichia capensis) is one of the most widely distributed Neotropical passerine. In this paper we analyzed the nesting success of a Rufous-collared Sparrow population nesting at a woodland area in the central-eastern Argentina (Buenos Aires province). We also assessed the effect of brood parasitism by Shiny Cowbirds (Molothrus bonariensis) and nest depredation on its nest productivity. During the 2005-2006 breeding seasons (September-January), we found 41 Rufous-collared Sparrow nests. About 53 % of nests were parasitized by cowbirds, and 19.35 % produced fledglings. Nest survival probability was similar for egg-laying-incubation and nestling rearing stages. The main cost of cowbird parasitism was the loss of Rufous-collared Sparrow eggs during the laying-incubation stage, while we were unable to detect any effect of the presence of cowbird nestlings at the nestling rearing stage. Productivity analysis revealed that the main factor related to the breeding success of the Rufous-collared Sparrow was the nest depredation, while brood parasitism remained a secondary factor. Only in conditions of higher nest survival of Rufous-collared Sparrows would brood parasitism have a major effect over the host breeding success. © The Neotropical Ornithological Society. |
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