Song post selection and territory location by resident sparrows in the central Monte desert

CUETO, V.R.; SAGARIO, M.C.

Congreso; Ornithological Congress of the Americas, XVII Reunion Argentina de Ornitología, XXIV Congresso Brasileiro de Ornitologia & XCV Annual Meeting of Association of Field Ornithology; 2017

The study of habitat selection by birds is crucial tounderstand their requirements and promote their conservation. In the centralMonte desert, Argentina, many patterns of habitat selection by sparrows inrelation to vegetation are apparent during spring and summer but dilute duringautumn and winter. We hypothesize that activities related to reproduction,which occur only during spring and summer, explain those changes in space use.We evaluate the hypothesis by studying the establishment of territories bythree resident species (Ringed Warbling- Finch Poospiza torquata,Many-colored Chaco-Finch Saltatricula multicolor, and Rufous-collaredSparrow Zonotrichia capensis) in an open woodland of Ñacuñán Reserve,Mendoza province. We sampled vegetation and mapped territories during2005-2008. We evaluated song post selection and used null models to test itsassociation with the location of territories. Consistently, the three speciesselected algarrobo trees (Prosopis flexuosa) as song posts, establishedtheir territories in areas with higher density of algarrobos and with higheralgarrobos in the periphery than in the center of the territories. Patternsfound at different scales (territory and intra-territory) and behaviors(territorial defense) that had never been explored in the area providedplausible explanations for selection patterns observed in previous studies. Theheight, density and spatial configuration of algarrobos may be important in theselection of territories. This should be considered to develop management plansfor algarrobo woodlands to prevent negative effects in birds due to theincreasing loss of these woodlands.