CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

As the most diverse and abundant terrestrial vertebrates in the Cape Horn Archipelago, birds potentially play key roles in the ecology of subantarctic ecosystems. However, the lack of long-term ornithological studies in southern South America has previously hindered the identification of relevant aspects of the autecology of even the most common species. One abundant species in the austral summer is the fío-fío (Elaenia albiceps), which migrates annually between the tropical regions of South America (Perú, Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, Paraguay & Brasil) to as far south as the Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve (CHBR), Chile. Using the database accumulated during the eight year mist-netting program of Passeriformes forest birds at the Omora Ethnobotancial Park, it was possible to describe various aspects of the fío-fíos ecology in the CHBR by determining: a) longevity and site fidelity, b) arrival-departure dates, c) abundance of adults and juveniles, d) diet and e) morphology. A total 827 fío-fíos were banded during the study period. Of the 67 recaptures, it was possible to determine that fío-fíos may live at least up to 7 years. Fío-fíos arrived as early as 28 October and left as late as 15 April with juveniles fledging in January. Their abundance increased from October to reach approximately 35% of the forest bird assemblage by January. In the austral archipelago, the fío-fíos diet consisted of 10 invertebrate orders and at least 5 plant species. Males had significantly longer tails and wings than females, while females were significantly heavier in the pre-fledging season (Oct-Dec). This study provides new information on the autecology of fío-fío in the worlds southernmost forests.

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