The Shiny Cowbird, Molothrus bonariensis (Gmelin, 1789) (Aves: Icteridae), at 2,800 m asl in Quito, Ecuador

The Shiny Cowbird, Molothrus bonariensis Gmelin, 1789, is a brood parasite of hundreds of small-bodied birds that is native to South American lowlands. Within the last 100 years this species has been expanding its range throughout the Caribbean, towards North America, but has rarely been seen above...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biodiversity data journal 2016-05, Vol.4 (4), p.e8184-e8184
Main Authors: Crespo-Pérez, Verónica, Pinto, C Miguel, Carrión, Juan Manuel, Jarrín-E, Rubén D, Poveda, Cristian, de Vries, Tjitte
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Americas
Animalia
Biogeography
Molothrus bonariensis
New records
Passeriformes
Range extension
Taxonomic Paper
Zonotrichia capensis
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Summary:The Shiny Cowbird, Molothrus bonariensis Gmelin, 1789, is a brood parasite of hundreds of small-bodied birds that is native to South American lowlands. Within the last 100 years this species has been expanding its range throughout the Caribbean, towards North America, but has rarely been seen above 2,000 m asl. Here, we present records of Shiny Cowbirds in Quito, a city located 2,800 m above sea level that harbors a bird community typical of the Andean valleys. We found two juvenile individuals parasitizing two different pairs of Rufous-collared Sparrow (Zonotrichia capensis Müller, 1776). This report constitutes an altitudinal range expansion of reproductive populations of ca. 500m, which may have beenprompted by anthropogenic disturbance.
ISSN:1314-2828
1314-2836
1314-2828
DOI:10.3897/BDJ.4.e8184