Feeding ecology of Tucuman parrot Amazona tucumana

LUIS RIVERA; NATALIA POLITI; ENRIQUE H. BUCHER

Bonito

Congreso; 49 th Annual Meeting Bonito - MS, Brasil; 2012

Association of Tropical Biology and Conservation

Parrots are primarily canopy granivores that may experience variability in food availability due to the seasonality of canopy trees. Understanding the relationship between parrot populations and their feeding resources will enable to determine the resources, habitats, and areas to conserve. Few studies have focused on Neotropical birds inhabiting montane forests in terms of feeding patterns and changes in food availability along an elevation gradient. Tucuman parrot is a species restricted to the Southern Yungas. The aim of this work was to determine the diet and foraging patterns of Tucuman parrot and to relate those data with temporal and spatial variability in food availability along the elevation gradient of the Southern Yungas. During four years we studied the feeding ecology of Tucuman parrot in El Rey National Park, Salta Province, Argentina. Diet and foraging patterns were determined by direct observations of feeding activity. Chicks were monitored to identify the dominant species in their diet. Resource availability was determined on each of the three elevation zones of the Southern Yungas. We recorded a total of 174 feeding bouts of 2562 individuals feeding for a total of 3984 min. Tucuman parrot diet in the study area is composed of 14 native species of nine families. Tucuman parrot was found to be primarily (56%) granivorous, consuming mainly seeds of Podocarpus parlatorei in the reproductive period, leguminous seeds in the non-reproductive period, and inflorescences of Juglans australis during the prereproductive period. Tucuman parrot exhibited a marked seasonal dietary switch while tracking food availability along the elevation gradient. Crop contents of chicks included more than 95% of seeds of P. parlatorei, showing a highly specialized diet. Tucuman parrot productivity might be influenced by the availability of seeds of P. parlatorei. Therefore, the conservation of Tucuman parrot is linked to the maintenance of stands of P. parlatorei.