INVESTIGADORES
GARCIA german oscar
artículos
Título:
Prey composition of peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus cassini) preying upon a mixed-species colony in Argentine Patagonia
Autor/es:
GARCÍA GERMÁN OSCAR; BÓ MARÍA SUSANA; YORIO PABLO MARTÍN
Revista:
ORNITOLOGIA NEOTROPICAL
Editorial:
NEOTROPICAL ORNITHOLOGICAL SOC
Referencias:
Lugar: ALEMANIA; Año: 2014 vol. 25 p. 231 - 235
ISSN:
1075-4377
Resumen:
The Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) is regularly found along coastal areas of Argentine Patagonia which are characterized by large seabird breeding assemblages. We determined the prey composition and contribution of seabirds to the diet of one breeding pair, based on prey items identified from 15 pellets and 23 prey remains collected from November to December 2006 (austral breeding season) at the Punta León Provincial Reserve (43º04´S, 64º29´W), Chubut. The Peregrine Falcon pair nested on a cliff about 650 meters south of a mixed-species seabird colony. Five types of prey were identified, all birds. The most frequent prey items in pellets were Thalasseus terns, mainly Cayenne Terns (Thalasseus sandvicensis eurygnathus, 60.0%), followed by Passerines (35.0 %), and other Charadriiforms (5.0%). Of the items found in prey remains, 91.3% corresponded to adult Cayenne Terns, followed by Royal Tern chicks (T. maximus maximus, 4.3%) and Kelp Gull chicks (Larus dominicanus, 4.3%). Our results show that seabirds, particularly terns, were the main prey of Peregrine Falcons breeding at Punta León, and suggest that this raptor may have an important effect on breeding Cayenne Terns in the study area.