Reproductive success of Blue-fronted Parrot (Amazona aestiva) in the Chaco region of Argentina

BERKUNSKY, IGOR; REBOREDA, JUAN CARLOS

Campos do Jordao, SP, Brasil

Congreso; International Ornithological Congress; 2010

Sociedaide Brasileira de Ornitologia

The blue-fronted parrot (Amazona aestiva) is a widely distributed Neotropical parrot and one of the most captured parrots in nature to supply the illegal trade of wild animals. In addition, recent increase in deforestation and selective logging are reducing the number of cavities for blue-fronted parrots in breeding, non-protected areas. The aim of this study was to determine the main factors that affect the reproductive success this species and provide information for modeling the impact that harvest and habitat destruction could have on their populations. During five consecutive years we monitored 159 nesting attempts in the Chaco region of Argentina. Predation accounted for approximately 50% of nest failures. Other causes of nest failures were nest abandonment after the death of all chicks (23%) or flooding of the nest cavity (11%). Daily survival rates increased with age of the nest and decreased with time of breeding. Considering that the length of the nesting cycle was 85 days, the cumulative probability of nest survival was 0.4. On average, clutch size was 3.7 eggs and hatching success and chick survival were 73% and 81%, respectively. Brood reduction was relatively uncommon and restricted to the first week after hatching. We did not observe re-nesting attempts after nest failure, but at least 63% of females whose nests failed re-nested the following year. Considering the proportion of nests that were successful and the number of chicks fledged per successful nests, the number of young produced per nesting attempt was approximately 0.9. Approximately 94% of the young survided until the age of one month. These results indicate that recruitment in protected areas is appropriate for sustaining blue-fronted parrot populations.