Predators of bird nests in the Neotropics: a review
Tipo
Artigo de revisão
Data de publicação
2017
Periódico
Journal of Field Ornithology
Citações (Scopus)
62
Autores
Menezes J.C.T.
Marini M.A.
Marini M.A.
Orientador
Título da Revista
ISSN da Revista
Título de Volume
Membros da banca
Programa
Resumo
© 2017 Association of Field OrnithologistsPredation is the main cause of nest failure among birds and, therefore, a strong selective agent. To fully understand patterns of nest predation, determining the identities of nest predators is crucial. Information about nest predators in the Neotropics, however, is largely anecdotal and not easily accessible in the literature. Our objective was to search the literature and compile a list of the known predators of nests in the Neotropics. We identified 256 species belonging to 67 families of birds, reptiles, mammals, and arthropods as nest predators. Families with at least 10 species of identified nest predators included Colubridae, Accipitridae, Corvidae, Ramphastidae, Falconidae, Furnariidae, Icteridae, and Didelphidae. Species in the first five of these families, plus the family Cebidae, predated nests of at least 30 species of birds. Many species not included on our list are also likely nest predators, e.g., 79 species identified as nest predators in the Nearctic that also occur in the Neotropics, but have not yet been confirmed as predators there. Increased use of video technology in the future should lead to an increase in the numbers of nest predators identified, particularly those that are nocturnal. By determining which species on our list occur in a given study area, researchers can now consider the likely nest predators in their study areas when designing hypotheses and conservation plans.