Nesting Biology of the Yellow-Olive Flatbill (Tyrannidae, Elaninae) in Atlantic Forest Fragments in Brazil (original) (raw)

2012, The Wilson Journal of Ornithology

AI-generated Abstract

Studies of avian nesting biology are crucial for understanding many concepts in population biology, are relevant to evolutionary theory, and have many applications in conservation biology (Reed et al. 1998, Duca et al. 2009). Most studies of avian reproduction focus on temperate species (Stutchbury and Morton 2001), and studies on the reproductive ecology of tropical passerines are fewer. The Yellow-olive Flatbill (Tolmomyias sulphurescens) is a common suboscine inhabiting neotropical forests throughout Central and South America. There is virtually no information available on its breeding biology, despite it being relatively ubiquitous. The few data reported indicate the species lays an atypically large clutch for tropical passerines (3-4 eggs). The Yellow-olive Flatbill presents an opportunity for testing theories about evolution of life history traits in tropical systems, particularly in relation to habitat fragmentation effects on breeding success and population viability.