Reproductive aspects of the Purple-throated Euphonia, Euphonia chlorotica (Aves: Fringillidae) in southeastern Brazil, and first record of the species nesting inside a vespiary

Despite the fact that E. chlorotica (Linnaeus, 1766) is common and widely distributed in South America, the reproductive aspects of the species are poorly documented. Here we present data on 18 active nests found from August to February, between 2007 and 2012. Nests were globular with a lateral entr...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Zoologia (Curitiba, Brazil) Brazil), 2017-01, Vol.34, p.1-7
Main Authors: Fernandes Perrella, Daniel, Davanço, Paulo V., Oliveira, Leonardo S., Sousa, Livia M.S., Francisco, Mercival R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal behavior
Bees
Biology
Birds
breeding biology
Clutch size
Clutches
Eggs
Entrances
Euphonia chlorotica
Euphoniinae
Hymenoptera
Incubation period
Insects
Nesting
nesting behavior
Nests
New records
Phylogenetics
Probability theory
Seasons
Seeds
Silk
Species
Success
Survival
wasps
ZOOLOGY
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Despite the fact that E. chlorotica (Linnaeus, 1766) is common and widely distributed in South America, the reproductive aspects of the species are poorly documented. Here we present data on 18 active nests found from August to February, between 2007 and 2012. Nests were globular with a lateral entrance, and measured 97.9 ± 14.4 mm in outside height, 110.6 ± 11.6 mm in outside diameter, and were 4.88 ± 2.09 m above ground. They were often supported from bellow and were composed mainly of tiny dry leafs and leaflets, fine petioles, and plumed seeds, all compacted with spider web silk. Eggs were laid on consecutive days or with one day interval, and clutch size varied from 1–3 eggs (2.1 ± 0.6, n = 9 nests). Only females incubated the eggs, but both sexes were involved in nest construction and nestling attendance at similar rates. Incubation and nestling periods were 14 and 21 days, respectively, and overall nest survival probability was 5%. A vespiary used for nesting was not occupied by wasps and nest material was deposited only to form the incubatory chamber. Although nesting near wasps or bees is a widespread strategy among birds in general, nesting inside the nests of social insects is a poorly documented behavior.
ISSN:1984-4689
1984-4670
1984-4689
DOI:10.3897/zoologia.34.e19989