First Nest Description for Niceforo ́ S Wren ( Thryothorus Nicefori ) : A Critically Endangered Colombian Endemic Songbird (original) (raw)
Related papers
Vocal Behavior of the Critically Endangered Niceforo's Wren ( Thryothorus Nicefori )
The Auk, 2008
Niceforo's Wren (Thryothorus nicefori) is a critically endangered songbird endemic to dry forests of the Chicamocha Valley in central Colombia. Discovered in 1946 and "red-listed" by the IUCN since 1988, Niceforo's Wren faces a threat of extinction because of its limited habitat range and increasing deforestation for agriculture and livestock. This species has been poorly studied, and its vocal behavior is yet undescribed. We provide the first description of the vocalizations of Niceforo's Wren, based on analyses of recordings from 29 individuals (more than half of all estimated living individuals of this species). We examined the fine structure of their songs, the pattern of solo and duet singing behavior, and the song repertoire size of males and females. Both sexes produce solo songs, coordinated vocal duets, and a variety of calls. Songs have a stereotyped syntax including one or more introductory syllables, a trill of rapidly repeated syllables, and a frequency-modulated terminal syllable. Males have a repertoire of at least 12-21 different song types, whereas females have a repertoire of at least 7-9. Both sexes sing solo songs with eventual variety. Male songs are more complex and have lower frequency characteristics, whereas female songs are shorter, with fewer syllable types and fewer syllable repeats. Duets involve mated pairs singing in a coordinated fashion using the same song types from their solo repertoires. Duets typically begin with a male song followed by a female song and show variable levels of complexity involving one to two songs given by each individual. Our results provide a foundation for monitoring Niceforo's Wrens and facilitating conservation of this critically endangered species.
The Condor, 2007
Niceforo's Wrens (Thryothorus nicefori) and Rufous-and-white Wrens (Thryothorus rufalbus) are closely related Neotropical birds. Niceforo's Wrens, critically endangered endemic Colombian songbirds, are generally considered a sister species to Rufous-and-white Wrens, although some have suggested that they may represent a wellmarked race. A careful comparison of the two taxa has never been conducted. Here we present a thorough study of the songs of male Niceforo's and Rufous-and-white Wrens based on recordings collected throughout both species' geographic ranges. Both species sing low-pitched songs composed of varied pure tone whistles. Niceforo's Wren songs are shorter and simpler with fewer syllables and syllable types; they have higher frequency trills and terminal syllables; and they have distinctive terminal syllables with a broader bandwidth, higher frequency of maximum amplitude, and a larger number of frequency modulations. Discriminant analysis based on fine structural details of songs differentiates the two species. In a subspecies-level discriminant analysis, all five subspecies of Rufousand-white Wren cluster together and are distinct from Niceforo's Wren. Comparisons of morphometric measurements and plumage features reveal parallel differences in body size (Niceforo's Wrens are larger for most measurements) and plumage color (Niceforo's Wrens are more gray than Rufous-and-white Wrens). This study is the first to compare Rufous-and-white versus Niceforo's Wrens with a quantitative approach and supports the idea that these taxa are best understood as distinct species.
The Auk, 2012
We describe a new species of wren in the genus Thryophilus (Troglodytidae) based on analysis of morphological, vocal, and genetic variation. Individuals of the new species are readily separated in the field or the museum from those of any other wren species, including its closest relatives T. rufalbus and T. nicefori, by a combination of traits including, but not limited to, plumage coloration of the upperparts, the pattern of barring on the wings and tail, overall smaller body size, a richer repertoire of syllable types, shorter trills, and distinctive terminal syllables. The new species is allopatrically distributed in relation to its congeners, being restricted to the dry Cauca River Canyon, a narrow inter-Andean valley enclosed by the Nechí Refuge rainforests and the northern sectors of the Western and Central Andes of Colombia. Individuals or pairs have been found only in remnant patches of dry forest and scrub at 250-850 m elevation. This newly discovered species is uncommon and threatened because of ongoing transformation of natural habitats in the Cauca River Canyon, and especially because of the planned construction of a major dam in the region; immediate conservation actions are thus imperative.
Nesting Biology of the Black-Bellied Wren (Thryothorus Fasciatoventris) in Central Panama
The Wilson Journal of Ornithology, 2007
We describe the nest and nest site, and provide the first description of the eggs and nesting behavior of the Black-bellied Wren (Thryothorus fasciatoventris) in central Panama. Nine nests were found near tree-fall gaps, swamps, and roads in moist tropical forests. Nests were dome-shaped with a circular side entrance. They were composed chiefly of strips of dead palm fronds, and were generally built in places where leaf litter and other debris had accumulated at the convergence of several vines near the forest floor. Both males and females participated in building the nest. Clutch size was three, and eggs were laid on consecutive days. Egg color varied from creamy to beige with faint to dark brown speckles that were more concentrated at the blunt end. Females were the sole incubators, but males fed the incubating females. Only the female brooded the nestlings once they hatched, but both parents fed the nestlings.
2002
We describe Cistothorus apolinari hernandezi, subsp. nov. from wet paramo of the Sumapaz massif south of Bogota, Colombia. This form differs from the nominate of the wetlands of the Cundinamarca-Boyaca Plateau in size, coloration, ecology, social structure and song and appears to be isolated from it by some 1000 m of elevation and different habitat preferences. A second population apparently occurs some 300 km further northeast in the Sierra Nevada del Cocuy in Dept. Boyaca but no data exist for intervening paramos. As a species, C. apolinari is critically endangered but the wetland and paramo populations face different threats and require different conservation strategies; distinguishing the latter population formally helps call attention to this situation.
2017
Summary. We conducted an ornithological survey of the Colombian slope of Cerro Tacarcuna, the highland region adjacent to the ‘Darién Gap’ on the Colombia / Panama border, and one of the most poorly known and threatened regions in the world. We present novel data on distribution, habitat, breeding biology and vocalisations for 27 species, including the first confirmed records in Colombia of Ochraceous Wren Troglodytes ochraceus and Beautiful Treerunner Margarornis bellulus, and the first records in the Darién highlands of Black-headed Antthrush Formicarius nigricapillus, Scaly-throated Foliage-gleaner Anabacerthia variegaticeps, Yellow-throated Chlorospingus Chloropingus flavigularis hypophaeus and, based on previously overlooked specimens, report the first confirmed records for Colombia of Sooty-faced Finch Arremon crassirostris. In addition, we collected the first Colombian specimens of Violet-capped Hummingbird Goldmania violiceps, Bareshanked Screech Owl Megascops clarkii, Tacar...
Ornitología Colombiana No1 (2003):4-21., 2003
A new species of Henicorhina wood-wren (Aves, Troglodytidae) is described from the Munchique massif of the Western Andes of Colombia. The Munchique Wood-Wren Henicorhina negreti is closely related to and probably derived from the Gray-breasted Wood-Wren Henicorhina leucophrys of Central and South America. Henicorhina negreti appears restricted to a narrow band of extremely wet, stunted cloud forest on the upper Pacific slope, characterized by nearly continuous fog, high epiphyte loads and frequent landslides; it is abruptly replaced in taller forest at lower elevations on this slope by H. l. brunneiceps, and on the drier east slope by H. l. leucophrys. The new species differs from adjacent forms of H. leucophrys in its distinctly barred abdomen, dark juvenal plumage, relatively short tail and longer tarsi. Its song is also very distinct, and the adjacent forms of H. leucophrys do not respond to it while they do to each others (despite the fact that the new species occurs between them). Conversely, the new species does not respond to songs of H. l. leucophrys or H. l. brunneiceps, strongly suggesting that it is reproductively isolated from them and has distinct habitat requirements. Similarities between the ecology of H. negreti and that of H. leucoptera, another restricted-range endemic sympatric but not syntopic with H. leucophrys, are discussed. Possible threats to H. negreti due to forest clearance and global climate change are discussed, and we suggest that the species be accorded Critically Endangered status.
A new species of wood-wren (Troglodytidae: Henicorhina) from the western Andes of Colombia
Ornitología Colombiana, 2003
A new species of Henicorhina wood-wren (Aves, Troglodytidae) is described from the Munchique massif of the Western Andes of Colombia. The Munchique Wood-Wren Henicorhina negreti is closely related to and probably derived from the Gray-breasted Wood-Wren Henicorhina leucophrys of Central and South America. Henicorhina negreti appears restricted to a narrow band of extremely wet, stunted cloud forest on the upper Pacific slope, characterized by nearly continuous fog, high epiphyte loads and frequent landslides; it is abruptly replaced in taller forest at lower elevations on this slope by H. l. brunneiceps, and on the drier east slope by H. l. leucophrys. The new species differs from adjacent forms of H. leucophrys in its distinctly barred abdomen, dark juvenal plumage, relatively short tail and longer tarsi. Its song is also very distinct, and the adjacent forms of H. leucophrys do not respond to it while they do to each others (despite the fact that the new species occurs between them). Conversely, the new species does not respond to songs of H. l. leucophrys or H. l. brunneiceps, strongly suggesting that it is reproductively isolated from them and has distinct habitat requirements. Similarities between the ecology of H. negreti and that of H. leucoptera, another restricted-range endemic sympatric but not syntopic with H. leucophrys, are discussed. Possible threats to H. negreti due to forest clearance and global climate change are discussed, and we suggest that the species be accorded Critically Endangered status.